Folly and Sin
by Crimson Vixen
Summary: IxK "It was the fear of being dropped at any moment that made Kazu throttle Riffle with his arms for security" Watch as I attempt to write action! Dx
1. Opening Notes

**PLEASE read the notes before reading the story... thank you.**

Yeah, I know. Like I NEED to start a new story... Again.

**a/n: **Ok, so here's the deal. This fic is going to be a multi-chapter because I don't see much of it out there. And I do love a good long read. I don't see much of this pairing out there, either, and personally, it's my favorite. I'm very aware that what seems to be the most popular pairing is Ikki and Akito, but hopefully readers won't be too close minded to give this one a taste as well. And here is my pathetic attempt at making a decent length fic.

Concerning the **time and place**. It's anime-verse, _not_ manga-verse, so if you have problems with that sorta thing, I _did_ warn you. I'm thinking post anime. Or at least post first season because that's all I've ever seen. (I'm hoping there will be a second season, considering there is still A LOT in the manga that was not covered in the series.)

**Emiri's name.** I have seen two versions of her name: Emily and Emiri. I don't know if you guys have a problem with that sort of thing, but to get rid of any confusion, I'll be using the name Emiri, just to stick to the japanese roots, I guess. And because I _do_ have to pick a name since she'll be in this story.

My **reasoning**? Well to be honest, I've always been a fan of the two best friend yaoi bit. I mean, Ikki and Kazu have been friends since the beginning and I think a bond that strong can really lead somewhere, and I like it better than the Akito pairing because that pairing just seems so... sudden. Does that make any sense? I'm not dissing the IkkiAkito, in fact I find it very adorable, and I read it, but I just like IkkiKazu more. And to tell you the truth, I'm kinda sad to see so little of it out there!

I also** apologize for any grammer issues/mistakes**. I currently don't have word on my computer. Instead I'm using a program called Open Office, which I hate with a passion because it makes it so much harder to do things, including finding and fixing correct/incorrect grammar. It's more or less just a giant pain in the ass with limited abilities. So work with me here, people. Give a girl a break. So if there are any problems I am sorry, and if you'd like you can always let me know and I can fix them on the next update. And one more thing. And wording joiningslikethis are all fanfiction's fault, I've learned.

And another thing. I would really love it if you **review**ed! Please and thank you! And I have my plot sorted out, (kinda), but I am ALWAYS open for ideas and suggestions and I like to hear what the readers want. I never promise that it will be slapped right away into the story, but you never know...

**one more thing. **I am using a crappy program called **open office** which I think is another word for suck. It's hard to work with and it doesn't help me with the words and settings like I want it to. I really need to find someone with Word...

**Summary: **YAOI IxK (some IxA IxR SxK KxE) Storm Riders. Murder. Friendship. Trust. Betrayal. Everything is connected. Ikki is trying to understand a new enemy and fix his friendships. Fragile feelings are juggled. Boys will be boys...

**Pairing(s): **There are several pairing in this story, or at least from how I'm planning it all.

Ikki/Akito(Agito)

one sided Ikki/Ringo

Kazu/Emiri

Sano/Kazu

**but over all, the main pairing of this fic is _IkkixKazu_**.

If anymore come into play later, I'll be sure to mention it in an author's note.

**Disclaimer: **They do not belong to me. If they did, though... ohhhh if they did...

**Warnings: **Yaoi, shonen-ai, language. I haven't decided on how graphic I'm going to get.

And last but not least, I would love **your help!**

One of my favorite things to do is please the reader, so if you have suggestions or something you want to see, send me an email of put it in a review. I love to hear ideas and though I can't promise I will use all of them, I will take them all into consideration, just so long as you understand that I will not change the over all plot, and I will not replace the IkkiKazu main pairing. Thanks! And please enjoy the story.

C. Vix


	2. Prologue :: The Size of Your Wings

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**Air Gear**

_a fiction by Crimson Vixen_

**Prologue – The Size of Your Wings**

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"Running was something I could never beat you at."

For someone who had so much trouble shifting the spotlight to someone else, every time he said those words, they were filled with an awful lot of pride. And Ikki was saying it more and more lately, it seemed. More than one would think, because Kazu's lack of faith in himself irked the crow that much.

How 'Stealth' the jet could think so little of himself, Ikki just couldn't comprehend it. The blond seemed to have this lust to be seen, noticed, _loved_, even... yet when all eyes finally fell upon him, he would shy away like he was having second thoughts.

That was why Ikki always felt the need to push him like he did. Because without his occasional reassurances, Kazu would surely plummet into something along the lines of deep self-loathing, because that's just the way he was. He needed to feel useful, and AT's were the only way he knew how.

It was hot, and the sun was beating down on them, yet both boys wore their jackets proudly. Quickly Ikki wiped at his brow and pointed to the school track. It looked almost daunting as the sun cast its heated glare onto the surface.

"Ten more laps! Go!" he called with a giant grin. Kazu's jaw dropped, brows knitting into a firm line.

"Ten more!?"

It wasn't as though it was any trouble for the boy, just that it was _so hot_ outside. The blond gave a short growl and a well practiced glare before taking off with admirable speed, leaving Ikki in a short after-gust. Once his jacket stopped fluttering, he let himself smile.

Because Ikki knew. Kazu would gape and mutter about the crow's training methods and orders, but the reality of it was... he couldn't get enough of it. In fact, Kazu was thrilled by it. He loved the intense work out, the feel that he was getting faster, stronger, better by the day. Ikki's training near intoxicated him.

So as he ran around the track, he was able to relax. Like running the way he did was just second nature, as natural as breathing, and there was no thinking involved. Just the wind against his face and roaring across his ears like an endless roll of thunder.

Ikki crossed his arms as he waited. How in the world could Kazu not be conscious of his own potential? Accelerating and running at a speed so fast it was invisible to the naked eye... It was such an envious and amazing skill; how could Kazu not see it?

Ha, what an idiot.

It didn't take long for Kazu to complete his laps, as expected, giving Ikki a short look and unsuccessfully hiding a smirk that was trying to push its way past his slightly panting lips. Frankly, he just loved getting all sweated up and being pushed to his limits, and both of them knew that underneath all of his complaints, he was grateful.

But regardless, it didn't take very long for Kazu's lips to mold into a frown.

"What?"

But he didn't even need to open his mouth. He could see it clearly in those clouded blue eyes.

_They'll never match._

At first, the crows brows furrowed. No doubt, Kazu was thinking about his wings again, _comparing_ them with Ikki's own. This always boiled water over the side with the leader, ruffled him, annoyed him, because after all of this, Kazu was _still_ trying to desperately reach Ikki's altitude, and failing to realize that himself Kazu reached his own height on another path. One that no one, not even Ikki himself, could come close to reaching. Why couldn't he see that? It was always about reaching his level...

But Ikki was ready this time. He'd priorly give it all some thought, because this was a rather fragile subject that came up from time to time. There once was a time where Kazu had found solid ground. Where he had come to the notion that he would find his own way and follow it to the end. But somehow, somewhere, over time, he'd fallen, that realization lost.

"The size of your wings don't matter," Ikki said evenly, grabbing Kazu's eyes with his own powerful gaze. "Or how fast you flap your wings, or how far they spread."

Closing his eyes, feeling both stupid and wise, Ikki lightly pounded his chest with his fist, right over his heart. Kazu watched his friend as intently as he always had, as though he was burning everything Ikki said and did into his mind.

"What matters most is whats in here," he finished off, not wanting to go on and risk having Kazu think he was trying to glorify himself. He wanted to continue saying how it wasn't all about trying to be the better man, but AT in general _did_ center around a lot of competition. It was true there was a great deal of that, but still, there was something more to being a Storm Rider than beating the other guy. Something wild and alive, rebellious, burning and... free.

The moment felt heavy, and for a minute, neither boy attempted to speak. That was when Ikki decided to break the tension.

"Besides!" he spouted, letting a giant grin escape and patting Kazu on the back. "Do you have any idea how _awesome_ that was!?"

_Do you have any idea how fast your wings take you?_

That caused the jet to blush and he couldn't stop his lips from spreading into Ikki's annoyingly contagious smile, and he even let out a small laugh, even though the crow thought he heard him mumble some doubt underneath his breath.

...which Ikki didn't understand. People were jealous of Kazuma. They longed to be able to run that fast. His alias was 'Stealth', a well earned title that he could easily hold onto. And this much was obvious, it had to be, even to Kazu, right? So then why...?

Why did he belittle himself so much? Just what _was_ it about himself that he hated _so_ much, that there was something he needed to gain? What did he feel the need to prove?

Kazu was like a dragonfly, or a hummingbird, Ikki often mused. A tug at peoples wandering eyes, like he wanted the recognition. But once he captured that gaze he grew into a shy and timid creature that was near impossible to touch. His wings moved so fast it was like they weren't even there, and it was with a natural grace, like he was born to fly like lightning, and that's what was so memorizing about it. Yeah, just like a dragonfly. Just like a humming bird.

There were times Ikki thought himself to be jealous, but over the past year or so, he was quickly able to sort out his feelings, ever since he'd taken up AT, and he'd soon realized that it was more like a swelling pride. That when contained within your own team, there was little to no need to be better than your comrades. Just teamwork and varied skills that when combined properly...

The crow blinked out of his stupor. There he went again, daydreaming about AT... He was ripped out of this thought process by the look on Kazu's face. Lips firmly pressed into a small frown, hat lowered to his lids, just enough to shadow his eyes in the way he did when he was either fighting with his inner demons or when he didn't want anyone to read his face.

But it was always easy to read him when he did _that_. Anger. Frustration. Disappointment. At himself.

It was exactly the thing Ikki was trying to cure.

His friend's body noticeably tensed under his hand, and Ikki hesitantly slide it off.

"Kazu," he said, authority in his tone. But the blond shrugged him off and quickly shook his head before bolting, knowing full well that Ikki wouldn't - _couldn't_ - chase him. And he was right. Ikki knew full well that although he could reach the moon and break the sky, he could never catch up to the jet. Kazuma.

Teeth grinding, the boy turned heel and slowly wheeled himself into the opposite direction, hands in his pockets and grumbles on his tongue. Sometimes he wished he could get into that thick skull and see what Kazu was thinking half the time. Maybe then it would be a little bit easier to make him see clearly.

It was about then that something caught his eye. Something small, something quick. He stopped and turned to a bush littered with different colored flowers, nose twitching at the lovely scent and eyes searching for whatever it was that he..

There it was!

It was just a dragonfly, green and black in a flawless design, wings not even visible at it hovered in one spot. How ironic, he laughed to himself, to see such a thing after making such a comparison only a few minutes ago.

Ikki smiled as he reached out a hand to touch it, or at least see how close he could get to it. He'd always had a soft spot for these things. But he felt like the wrong end of a magnet, for every time he got a certain distance away from it, the skittish creature would flicked further away, afraid of letting him get too close. It kept an even distance between them, yet never ran away.

Stubborn as he was, the boy kept trying, slowly, to creep his hand to the dragonfly, which now flitted in a nervous manner. In one swift motion Ikki shot his hand out to try to capture it, but only scared it further away, leaving his hand empty.

And when he saw it again, his heart sank. He had frightened it, right to the bush, right into a giant, well crafted spiderweb. It was stilled there for a moment, it's graceful wings now forced to stand still, silky and shimmery in their appearance, one wing folded over on itself. Ikki wasn't sure why he gulped, or why such a tiny thing was so heartbreaking to see, and why he couldn't swallow the guilt he felt... so he reached out once again, not sure what he was planning to do but just like before, when he got close enough the creature started to writhe and struggle, only entangling itself further in the sticky trap.

Ikki's hand recoiled when the spider seemingly came from nowhere, sprinting to it's latest victim and wasting no time in doing it's business. He couldn't take his eyes away from it, in some childish curiosity he wanted to shake but couldn't. Like people slowing down to see the damage of a car crash and counting the casualties before resuming their drive home. He thought about this, eyes glued, even as his hand patted around on the grass around him for a stick. When he found one he poked at the spider, trying to scare him off, or break the web, or _something_, but it continued to tend to it's target as if he weren't even there and Ikki jumped when he heard a familiar voice in the distance.

"Ikki! Ikki!"

The crow turned his head abruptly, seeing Onigiri in the distance waving his arms wildly over his head in attempt to capture his attention. His neck almost cracked he had turned it so fast...

"Ikki!"

Dreadful and thankful for his friends distraction, Ikki awkwardly stumbled to his feet, giving one last pathetic glance at the bushes and the tragedy it held before skating off. It was such a little, insignificant thing, he kept telling himself. But for some reason, he just couldn't forget it. He just couldn't get that tightening knot out of his chest and the churning out of his stomach and for the life of him, couldn't figure out _why_... It almost felt like he was abandoning it, in a cruel action that some would classify as betrayal.

**TBC**


	3. Eyes That Hide

**a/n: **I wish more people knew about Air Gear. I hope that once it gets more popular, more readers will come into the Air Gear section.

This would have been up a few days sooner but fanfiction was giving me problems and not letting me upload any files. blah, but now we're back on track. Enjoy!

Also! I added and changed a few notes concerning pairings that will be included, and the setting and time of the story itself. Just so you know.

This first official chapter is kinda slow, but I hope you still read it. It touches on both Ringo and Emiri's alike feelings, and just kinda gets the ball rolling on where everyone is at.

**Thanks to:**

**Ren'ai-iki: **Bahh, thanks, as always. It FEELS good to be writing again. And don't worry, you'll find your muse soon. Just watch some anime and play some games. It always gets me back into the game.

**E-san: **You have NO idea how happy I am to hear you say those things! I get SO worried that people won't read this because to answer your question, it's going to be IkkixKazu, and it's not the most popular pairing out there. (I don't understand why!)

**Jurt: **Glad you do, and I hope I continue it, as well. Usually my updates are inspired by the encouragement from reviewers.

**Jade Mouse: **Oh boy! I was hoping people would like the Dragonfly spiderweb bit, so your review really made my happy! And gosh, thank you so much on the compliments on my writing style. I hope you like the next chapter!

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**Air Gear**

_a fiction by Crimson Vixen_

**Eyes That Hide**

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_I feel like, I would like  
To be somewhere else doing something that matters  
And I'll admit here, while I sit here  
My mind wastes away and my doubts start to gather  
What's the purpose? It feels worthless  
So unwanted like I've lost all my value  
I can't find it, not in the least bit  
and I'm just scared, so scared that I'll fail you _

And sometimes I think that I'm not any good at all  
And sometimes I wonder why, why I'm even here at all  
But then you assure me  
I'm a little more than useless  
And when I think that I can't do this  
You promise me that I'll get through this  
And do something right  
Do something right for once

So I say if I can't, do something significant  
I'll opt to leave most opportunities wasted  
And nothing trivial, that life could give me will  
Measure up to what might have replaced it  
Too late look, my date book  
Is packed full of days that were empty and now gone  
And I bet, that regret  
Will prove to get me to improve in the long run

I'm a little more than useless  
And I never knew I knew this  
Was gonna be the day, gonna be the day  
That I would do something right  
Do something right for once

I notice, I know this  
Week is a symbol of how I use my time  
Resent it, I spent it  
Convincing myself the world's doing just fine  
Without me  
Doing anything of any consequence  
Without me  
Showing any sign of ever making sense  
Of my time , it's my life  
And my right, to use it like I should  
Like he would, for the good  
Of everything that I would ever know

I'm a little more than useless  
When I think that I can't do this  
You promise me that I'll get through this  
And do something right  
Do something right for once

I'm a little more than useless  
And I never knew I knew this  
Was gonna be the day, gonna be the day  
That I would do something right  
Do something right for once

_Relient K – "More Than Useless"_

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Everyone knows of the saying. You don't know what you have until it's gone. Everyone knows, but only a few truly understand it. Only a few can really grasp it. And usually the people that _do _understand it are the people that live through it. It can be something as simple as a position at work, to something like a loved one. Sometimes it can't be fixed. Sometimes it's something that you can't get back. Like a nasty infliction. Like time. Like your life.

It was dark out, but the ally was darker. The stars were hiding behind thick clouds in the sky. Even the moon had a hard time showing its flawless face, shying away behind blackish cotton blotches. The streetlights were dim and didn't cast a shred of hope into the narrow path squeezed between the two buildings. It was a part of town that no one ever visited much anymore, especially at night. How silly, that there were cops littering the city like flies to the dump, showing up to break up meetings and everything else, always showing up at the wrong place at the wrong time.. Everywhere, expect where they were really needed.

"Augh!!"

There was a loud smack, the sound of bone against bone, but with the rain pouring down like it was, if anyone was around, no one would have heard him scream. He could hardly hear himself over the downpour, flooding into his already blurry eyes and making his clothes cling to his skin for dear life. It was thick and acted almost like a thick fog in front of him.

"Stop! Please!"

He hated himself for sounding like that; like he was begging. His voice was strained and scratchy, even as he gurgled on his own bodily fluids. Red bubbled over his bruised lips and the color was drained from his once tanned skin. His eyes were wide, pupils like pinpricks in a blinding light. He closed his eyes as another kick went straight at his already busted ribs, flashing pictures across the back of his eyelids, lightning quick images of his team – his _friends –_ being slaughtered before his very eyes, and then his own body being bent and broken in ways he didn't even think possible. So what now? Was he doomed? Of course, he silently mused; how in the world did he expect to get out of this alive?

Either way, death certainly came a lot quicker than he had planned.

He even laughed out loud at that, choked as it was, staining more of the concrete a dark maroon color, letting it swirl into the puddles forming around him. Scary, that he could barely feel his own limbs. Scary, that such a ruthless, bloodthirsty team could... No. They didn't have the grounds to call themselves a team. A gang, rather, and here he'd thought he'd die a more magnificent death. In a short period of time that he'd been tricked into this damn ally, he'd learned their name, and their ruthless methods and nothing else. This group of people, this group of _monsters_ were nothing more than murderers, parading around with the name of Storm Riders like a mask, given the already misunderstood classification of people a bad name.

Too bad, really, that he'd never get the chance to warn anyone. He couldn't even help himself.

So... if he was already destined for death tonight, without so much as a good-bye to his friends and family and all those he cared about, why would it matter if he told them what they wanted or not? He could just tell them, and they'd let him die in peace. But on the other hand? If he grasped his pride a little longer and kept his lips sealed until his final breath, some poor other soul and their team would suffer the same fate. Then again there was no promise that they'd leave him alone if he talked.

What a cruel joke. A lose-lose situation. It wasn't even worth thinking over.

"I'll ask again," came that menacing voice, a voice that didn't even sound human anymore, hidden behind a mask of red and black, of the devil himself, leering down at him and smirking at his demise. His towering shadow loomed over him, and he felt the air around him chill even though they were already shrouded in darkness and icy rain. The crowd that floated just behind him like a storm cloud were all demons, their impish faces painted with smiles stretched from pointed ear to pointed ear. A sight that could give any child nightmares. "Where can I find this.. legendary team?"

It was dripping with venom and sarcasm heavy enough to crush any soul it was directed to, saying 'legendary' as if it was some kind of joke, and from the laugh that came afterwards, that was probably how he saw it. Sure, the man sprawled along the concrete knew what was being asked of him, and he ran through all of it in his head. He had gone to watch their battles, had memorized their face and idolized their techniques and styles. What true fan would he be to rat them out?

And besides all of that, they were just... a couple of kids.

He gritted his teeth, stained pink, as the heel of a boot landed on his cheek and pressed him into the gravel.

"Just a couple of rookies, you guys are," he managed to wheeze with a triumphant smirk, ignoring the dirt and gravel that ebbed into his mouth. If only he could have had the chance to meet the kid that was said to be the next Sky King. Battle him, shake his hand or _something_. If he could just watch one last battle or past one of them in the streets. "Every... Everyone knows who they are. For you to not know, you guys must be – Auhh!!?"

The man coated in the colors of hell ground his heel harder into the Storm Rider's cheekbone and skull, basking in his scream, tingling at his attempt to squirm his broken body.

"Perhaps you didn't hear me..." that voice came again, sounding as though he was being the nice guy in the situation. With every word he said he pressed down harder with his foot, half burring his victim's face in a murky puddle. "Where. Are. They?"

The man, after raising his head a little and spitting out saliva, dirt and blood, his bones aching and limbs angled beyond recognition, let out a strangled sound, something mixing between a sob and a laugh. He wasn't sure but he thought he could feel a piece of bone sticking out of his shoulder. He couldn't even remember how that might have happened. After a moment, he went limp, dead from blood loss and pain before he could even choose his dying words, or before he could even think of what he regretted in life, or what he was thankful for.

"Feh!" The devil spat, apathetic, shoving the stubborn rider away with his foot. There were plenty others that would bound to know the whereabouts of this supposedly revolutionary team. He squeezed his hand into a tight fist, as if he was crushing the said team in his hand just like that and watch them ooze through his fingers like sand. He gave a good swift kick to a cracked helmet and listened to it hit the wall and fall to the ground. An almost insane chuckle escaped through the sides of his mask, as if he didn't even notice the rank smell of death sprawled around his feet. They were all worthless, anyway. All of them. They held no importance, no meaning other than existing and taking up space on this precious earth. But it was easy enough to seperate the trash from the people who deserve to live, and to eliminate said trash.

Life was such a fragile thing, after all. Something so easily twisted and manipulated couldn't possibly hold that much meaning. There was literally no point in living if you were never meant to be anything in this world.

He loved to toss those lives around in his hands, watching them crumble, watching them shatter, watching them squirm. Being able to control others as if he was tugging on puppet strings was exhilarating – he had gotten addicted to the feeling.

How pathetic most of them must be, to fall so easily to the minions that were not even his best. The very thought of it made him giddy. If this was all the town had to offer, no doubt the team he was looking for would be the same. Just some joke with hype that rumor had built for it.

Interesting, is what it was. He liked interesting – it gave him a chance to play. On the other hand, it would be a nice change to see a challenge.

If anything, he hoped that they were worthwhile.

--

* * *

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Mmm...

K

A

Z

U

S

A

M

A...

And then she circled it in a cloud.

Emiri had written her crush's name plenty of times, enough times to plaster nearly every bathroom stall in the school. Probably would have, too, if she had the time. She tapped her pen against the notebook, eyes drawn to the window, the teacher's words turning quickly into white noise. And when she wasn't looking over there, she was gazing at her notes. It was how she spent most of her time in class; day dreaming, writing the boy's name, full and short, mixing it with hers, hers with his. Doodling pictures to the best of her ability. Idly, she would put swirls and stars and hearts around the name, sighing loudly and listlessly, uncaring if anyone heard her or not. It seemed like her crush was oblivious to almost everyone. Everyone except for the ones who mattered, anyway, like Kazu himself. And Emiri struggled with hateful feelings towards herself for being such a coward. Her reasoning for keeping her feelings to herself around the blond were the same as any girl with any love interest.

Because what if she blew it? What if her feelings weren't returned? What if she soiled the relationship she had with him now? Rejection was something not many people took well, and the girl wasn't sure how well she could take it if he...

So she waited for her moment, for her time. While everyone was busy gawking and fawning over Ikki and sometimes even Akito, she'd be eying the blond boy in the background, trying to look past that complex gaze, that voiceless expression as he watched his friend bask in all his glory. His smile was genuine but there was always something missing in those breezy blue eyes. She knew he both loved and hated being where he was. Wanting to push past the crowd but at the same time, not wanting the pressure of being in front of all those eyes.

She was there to cheer him on, to encourage him and watch him when he ran, when he flew, when he fell and got up again... if only he'd give her the chance. If only he would see her devotion.

But all Kazu ever seemed aware of anymore was AT. It was a constant distraction. An addiction, almost. AT and Ikki, _because_ Ikki was who sparked his interest in it. Growing and heightening his skill in attempt to impress his leader and childhood friend just like he always had. To just _get better_. Of course, it seemed that he had been practicing more and more lately, pushing himself harder.

Her pen pressed harder into the paper as she drew more circles around the name, nearly tearing through the page. She blinked owlishly, staring at them.

Emiri and Kazu forever. Kazu. Kauma. Kazu-sama. Mikura. Mikura Kazuma.

Her face grew hot as she wrote the next one. Because, at least to her ears, Mikura Emiri had a nice ring to it.

"Kazu-sama..." she sighed, thinking back to what her best friend Yayoi had once told her.

"_Quit sulking. He knows who you are. He knows you exist. You should at least be thankful for that."_

She only wished that the boy would see the greatness that she did. He had his silver lining, he was just being blinded by... _something_. Emiri could almost say she hated herself for not being able to pinpoint what it was. A part of her longed to be a hero to him and show him the way. But she didn't know how to start doing something like that. Not yet.

When the bell rang, she jumped, her gaze shooting towards the door instinctively like it did every day. Ikki and his friends were always the first ones out the door. She would feel a couple different bursts of air as they zoomed past her, and she knew when it was Kazu that zipped by because she knew the feel of his gust and she knew his scent when it washed over her. Although it was only a split second, she knew his laugh, even though it was light and mixed with the others' as well. When her hair settled from the breeze they had caused and she was sure they were gone, she gathered her things.

If only she could keep up with those boys, instead of sitting on the sidelines. Sure she was a part of the team. She was backup, and grateful for it, but she wasn't the same.

As she was just about to walk out of the classroom, something caught her eye. Maybe it was easy for her to see it because it was an item she recognized easily. Perhaps it was just a fluke. At any rate, Kazu's favorite hat lay on the floor next to his empty desk. There was a small wave of sadness to see one of the boy's most recognizable traits abandoned on the tile floor like that, but it was soon overcome with a flash of hope.

Quickly, she picked up the discarded beanie and held it lovingly to her chest. It smelled like him; of sandalwood and cinnamon. Still warm, too. He must have lost it when he rushed out after the bell rang. Still holding it close, she left the classroom and out into the streets.

The air was cool. Cooler than it should have felt for spring, and Emiri zipped her jacket up a little more and tucked her hair behind her ears. It almost felt as though winter hadn't left yet, which was both a pro and a con. Emiri loved the snow but she was tired of being cold. Not so oddly, her mind wandered over to Kazu, and she hoped his ears weren't cold in the wind without his hat being where it usually was, though part of her knew that was the case. It felt good somehow to be able to know and understand such a small bit of information about him. Briefly she thought about putting the hat on herself but was stopped without having the blond's permission.

Her thumb tenderly stroked the fabric, almost admiring it, thinking it as possibly being the closest thing she would ever get to the real thing. A weak smile quivered into her lips as a breeze licked at her skin, giving her shivers. At least now she had a reason to approach him without seeming too obvious. Other times she had made herself feel like a fool stumbling over her words and saying his name to get his attention and then finding that she had yet to plan something to talk to him about.

Sure, it seemed a bit sneaky to use his hat as an excuse, but there was no harm in it, as far as she could see. Besides that, it was the right thing to do. And as far as she could tell, Kazu didn't... _dislike _her or anything. He would wave to her, or flash a smile at her when they passed each other in the hallway... Every little thing that he did, it made her feel special. They were friends. Even that little term sent a wave of something unexplainable through her body.

She didn't need to see herself to feel the blush that spread through her face again, and she ducked into her hoodie a little more, hiding from no one in particular.

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* * *

--

_Buccha has always been good when it comes to riding walls, and he can control his weight in a brilliant display of control. Onigiri has found his own unique style of riding and appears to enjoy actually riding more than he does competition. Kazu's speed always seems to pick up a little more every time he rides, even when I didn't think it possible. Akito, your other half doesn't come out much more anymore, does he? And you've gotten quite skilled at AT without his help._

_And Ikki... You've really grown, haven't you? You have a really wide wingspan, don't you?_

Ringo bit nervously at the nail of her thumb, not even aware of her thoughts plastering themselves on her face. More and more she would find herself watching Ikki and his friends, admiring them and watching them progress. It made her nervous to watch, but it wasn't in a bad way. Never before had she seen riders become so skilled so fast. There was something almost - dare she say - _magical_ about it.

They practiced every single day with determination that showed no sign of wavering. Ikki never seemed to lose faith in his team and that giant smile he wore showed it. Confidence overflowed him every time he challenged another team, a glint in his eyes sparkled when he slapped a sticker, his chest stuck out when he announced their name. Ringo was almost disappointed of her previous history of Sleeping Forest, because maybe then she could be a part of it. Of Ikki's team. Ikki's life.

It wasn't the first time she day dreamed about being on Ikki's team. Flying in the air alongside him gave her a fluttering feeling that she enjoyed, and she would help him when she could, but Ikki hardly needed it. And certainly never asked for it. Still, she needed to feel important to the boy she had quickly gotten so attached to. Never could she recall seeing someone so dedicated to the sport, and that determination and love for it was admirable.

She pushed her glasses up gently, then put her hands up to the window glass, pressing her nose against the pane to see them all clearly. Ikki and the rest of Kogarasumaru were doing laps, races, the things they usually did when they practiced. Including making bets with whoever lost, or making deals when it came to rematches, mixing homemade concoctions for the loser to drink, and rock paper scissors when it came to almost everything else. There seemed to be a lot of that, too, lately. And those time trails. Time trials and obstacle courses. Those seemed to be Ikki's favorite.

He had always talked about being able to swerve and dodge whatever came your way, to expect the unexpected. Which would probably explain why the crow would throw cans and other trash at his team members as they were trying to do their run. Then they would all yell at him but anyone could hear the hidden smile in their voices. That always made Ringo giggle, the way that Ikki insisted on going about things. It was childish while at the same time, sensible and effective. At least, in the long run, even if it did piss the others off for real at times. Ikki had a tendency to do things and then explain himself later, when the time called for it. His training methods were a fine example of that.

That was one of the many things that Ringo liked about the boy. He took AT very seriously, in a non serious way.

She cracked open the window to both feel the breeze and to listen in.

"Not fast enough!" She heard Ikki's voice right away – his voice had always stood out to her. Every time he spoke, it felt as if her heart was going to pitter-patter fast enough to burst through her chest. Oh but it was also frustrating, to be so close to him and for him to be so clueless to everything. He was too centered on AT that he forgot the world existed sometimes.

Did he really not have any feelings for her except for as a friend? Was she cursed to be nothing more than that? Of course, she thought bitterly as he gnawed once again at her nails, there was always a chance of ruining their friendship if they tried anything. They'd known each other since childhood, so would she really be willing to risk it all by trying to take another step forward?

Then there was always Simca. His feelings for her seemed to have noticeably dimmed since she first started interfering, but she couldn't help feeling angry whenever Ikki talked about her. When he saw her, there would be a tug at the corner of his lips and a sparkle in his eye. Ringo didn't like it, she didn't like it one bit. Simca was pretty and Ikki was a young teenager. The math was simple enough. She knew well that Ikki wasn't interested enough in that way that he wouldn't want to start something with the girl, at least not anymore, but just the thought of him knowing of her existence put her in tremors. She also hated the way Simca kept moving in on Ikki right under her nose, and the swallow knew it. There was no way that girl could possibly love Ikki in the way that she often preached. Simca struck Ringo as the type of girl that would go after someone just because they were there, and for the sake of messing with someone's head, and she did so in such a simple yet effective way.

It drove her nuts.

Ringo shook her head to clear the thoughts that were gathering against her will and brought her attention back to Ikki. He was busy pointing at the little obstacle course he'd set up around the track using whatever was laying around the school. Even from where she stood she could see the grin plastered across his childish features. Those features, soft eyes and even softer lips... that gentle face that people were told not to underestimate, because that boy, that Baby Face had a reputation you didn't want to cross. There was a solid will about him that never faded, getting him more emblems and more respect, but underneath that competitive demeanor, Ikki was sweet. At least.. once his mind was sidetracked from AT, but that was becoming more and more impossible as days went by.

But that only lead to a heavy sigh from the girl, and she gently brushed her hair back over her shoulders and let her frames slide down the bridge of her fine nose.

"Oi, oi, oi!" the crow bellowed again as they ran, staring the group of teens Ringo had dubbed to be humorous to watch. They were startled, or at least Onigiri was, for the stout boy swerved and tumbled to the ground with a shout. Kazu toppled over him with a curse, and Buccha over the both of them with an apology. Akito managed to avoid and stood off to the side, blinking at the sight, a timid finger brought to his small lips.

She heard the smaller boys groaning and grumbling under the Tank's bulk. And predictably, Ikki's smile was big and amused.

"You guys are pathetic," he said while crossing his arms, his voice light. "You know what we're missing? Strategy."

The others just looked at him blankly, waiting for him to continue, knowing that he had more to say.

Ringo chose that time to shut the window again, forcing herself to walk away before she changed her mind. She was happy Ikki was finding his place in the world, and along with his friends, no less. Only wished she could be a bigger part of it.

Ikki rubbed at his chin in thought.

Strategy. Moving in sync. He waited for Buccha to ride the wall up to the school roof and back, for Onigiri to run around the inside of the building three times, For Akito to make his way to the roof of the school and back, and for Kazu to run around the block... And he told them all to finish at the same time, at the same place. By doing this he hoped to make them more conscious of each others actions and whereabouts, and concentrate on their pacing and timing, as well at their own. It made sense, in theory. For now he would give them small tasks that shouldnt take very long to complete. Later on, he planned to extend the distances they ran.

Akito was the first one back, forcing a heavy breath from the crow. Looks like they all needed some practice, even Akito. Though, from the look on the small boys face, he didn't look like he fully understood what the rules were. He just stood there, looking happy that he was standing so close to Ikki. Perhaps he had given him too short of a task?

Of course... Ikki himself was having trouble focusing, what with Akito standing right next to him now, latching onto his arm and nuzzling him with that silly grin on his face. The short boy's skin was always warm and soft and his voice was full of adoration and innocence. Almost impossible to believe that there were two people inside that little body. Hard to think that Agito was inside the little boy that was mumbling something about being so happy with this team and to be alive, something that the small boy did often. He had a childish demeanor about him and he made even the smallest, insignificant thing worth cherishing. Almost as if Akito held all the innocence of a child and Agito did all the growing up.

It did get annoying now and again, though. Sometimes Akito would nonchalantly mention sleeping together, or kissing, or feeding each other as if it were no big deal. As if it wasn't such a strange concept to fathom, but he made these remarks and gestures while others were around and even though Ikki would show his frustration towards the little minx, he could never really bring himself to be truly angry with him. It was just... _really_ embarrassing because Akito didn't get that it just sounded so wrong. He had a reputation to keep a hold of anyway, and Ikki remembered a few occasions wehere he had almost lost it, and more than once it was because of Akito.

He felt a sudden explosion of wind and after a delayed second or two he saw Kazu's face, cheeks flushed pink from his sprint. Not a moment later Onigiri came rushing through the front double doors of the school, and a second after that, Buccha landed on the ground just behind him.

Alright, Ikki nodded silently. Not bad for the first time. Not bad at all. But they could do much better.

"Again," he announced, watching the predictable fall of their faces, except from Akito, who just stood there smiling constantly. "We're gonna keep doing this drill until all of you stop in front of me at the exact same time."

It did sound a little strict when Ikki first thought about it, but inside he felt that if any team could pull it off, it was his. With practice, they would do it, and then he'll look back and think of what a simple thing it was. He chuckled out loud at the thought. Besides, you can't get better at something if you don't push yourself. You never learn anything new when you go over the same old stuff again and again.

Seeing their faces, and feeling a chill in the air, he suddenly had a change of heart and decided to let them all go for now, announcing that they would do it another time. Maybe giving them a night to sleep on it would help them perform better the next time. His eyes trailed across them, from the Shark clinging to his arm to the Pig to the Tank to the Jet, noting right away the quick glint of anger or _something _flashing in Kazu's sky irises, but had no time to say anything because his friend had turned and left before he could open his mouth. It flitted around his brain for a moment. He knew Kazu could have a short temper at times, but what had just happened? Perhaps it was because he was tired. Or his hat, maybe? Ikki realized right away that Kazu's summer blond hair was exposed that day.

He pinched his eyes shut and wriggled his arm free from Akito's light hold. Buccha's deep voice wished him a good day as he went home, as did Onigiri, mumbling something about needing a big meal to keep him fueled for the rest of the day, and Ikki was left with the short little boy that now lived in his home. At least the girls were nice enough to stop teasing him about it long enough to arrange Akito a spot on the couch. Just until something else was figured out. Honestly, Ikki was _quite_ sick of all the comments that people were making once they found out that he and Akito were living in the same house. But even though Akito had his own place to sleep at night, that didn't stop the shark from sneaking into his bed from time to time.

Previously, he was living in a house with all girls. Attractive, well built girls. He was _not_ gay. And if he was, it would have to take one damn impressive boy to distract him from all of those girls, not to mention Simca, and all the other fans at school he'd gained over the past year. But it was a popularity he took advantage of. Good publicity, he'd always say.

He made his way home, Akito humming a random tune as he followed merrily, his song ending once they made it to the front door. Ikki was cautious when he opened the door; who knew _when _he'd be trampled or tackled when he took that first step in for some reason that he probably wouldn't agree with. Still, every once and a while, he _would_ get a good view of Mikan's...

Ahem.

But this time, he was lucky and walked into the house with no distractions. In fact, the house seemed empty, quiet, dark. Until Akito flipped the light on, casting a glow through the room and only proving to Ikki further that they had the house to themselves. Akito seemed more than happy with this concept, humming once again, louder this time, and skipping merely up the stairs as if expecting Ikki to follow.

It confused the crow, that Akito. He wasn't sure how the kid felt for him. It could be just that childish innocence again, not really taking the time to think of wrong and right, or of what others might think, just wanting a bit of attention from someone he seemed attached to. Just doing what came to him with no hesitation. Or maybe he _did _understand, just didn't care? And even if that was the case, was it because Akito was really that grateful, or was there more motive behind it than that? Ikki never voiced these questions to Akito, because a part of him didn't want to know the answers, but he thought about it often. Sure he was attached to the smaller boy, in the same way he was attached to the rest of his friends, and to his team, but anything more?

The crow crinkled his nose and wiped at his eyes, which were already growing heavy, even though evening had yet to darken the sky.

He flipped out his cell phone, speed dialing Kazu's number without really thinking about it, hoping to both figure out what happened today and if he had caused it, and if it could be fixed. It was probably nothing at all; he could be imagining the whole thing, and if that was the case, he wanted to know. Either way, Ikki just wanted to make sure...

It kept ringing until it reached Kazu's voice mail. Ikki hung up before the message could finish and dialed up his home phone. It rang several times and for a moment, Ikki thought he was going to get an answering machine but then someone picked up.

"Hello?"

Ikki's shoulders sagged a little. It was Kazu's sister.

"It's Ikki. Is Kazu there?"

There was a short silence and Ikki pressed the phone harder to his ear.

"Sorry, Ikki. Kazu hasn't come home yet. Want me to take a messege?"

"No, no, that's ok. Thanks."

"Alright, bye."

"Yeah, bye."

Snapping the phone shut, he gave a frustrated growl. His mind ran through all the possible places Kazu would run off to, but it lead him to several answers. He didn't want to worry, felt like he shouldn't worry, but for some reason he was running into worst case scenarios in his head. Was Kazu avoiding him? Was that why he wasn't answering his phone? Was it all just a misunderstanding? Maybe he just forgot something and that's why he was in such a rush.

Ikki quickly threaded his fingers through his messy hair, shedding his jacket and making his way up the stairs. He had things to do – chores – to do but he didn't feel like doing it. He felt too tired to do much of anything, the past few days wearing him thin. So he went straight to his room, thankful that it was empty, and plopped down on to the bed, bouncing once on the mattress. The sun was low but not down, and so light was shining through his window and into his room. Leaves were rustling just outside of his window, he could hear, and Akito humming still, in the bathroom just down the hall.

Why did he feel so distracted? He rose his hand and extended it in front of him, as if he were trying to touch the ceiling, curling and uncurling his fingers. He was sure that Kazu was alright, so why wouldn't he stop thinking about it?

He growled his frustration of not being able to control his thoughts. There were important matters to be thinking about and all he could think about was something that was probably nothing.

_Nothing_, he told himself as he rolled over to his side and hugged his crumpled sheets in his arms. Resting his nose in the soft material, his eyes went half lidded. Smelled nice – the girls must have washed his things while he was out. Those girls were always taking care of him, even when he caused them so much trouble. Several times he had told himself that he would make it up to them, but it always got pushed back once the day got started.

Lets see... He couldn't cook them dinner, because he wasn't the best at that. Besides, Mikan would only poke fun at whatever he'd make. She would probably want ramen instead, anyway. He didn't have money to afford much of anything, and he couldn't come up with anything other than things like that. And what the hell was Kazu's deal today, anyway?

Ikki's eyes bugged and he slammed the pillow over his head to make himself stop thinking.


	4. Restless

Thank you, reviewers! You are the fuel that keeps me going. As mentioned on the opening notes, I am always open ears to any ideas or suggestions you may want to share with me.

My stats say this story has had a good 411 views. Let have some feedback to match that, eh? Remember, be cool, review!

**E-san: **Ouuu I just love lengthy reviews! I love Emiri/Emily too ! She's such a sweetheart and I love her in the manga and the anime. I have read the manga - what I meant before was just that the first season of the anime is all I watched, assuming that they are making a second season. But WOWIE if you would be able to make fun pictures with manga scans.. I would love you forever!

**ren'ai-iki: **Yes. Yes they are both VERY cute, and I expect to see somehting from you too, soon, right? Glad you like the pairing, and that I could turn you on to Air Gear XD

**Jade Mouse: **Your name is so cute! I love foreshadowing but sadly, I'm not very good at it. But you made me feel better about the way I write so thank you! Your compliments are very flattering and I hope to keep you reading! Enjoy!

**shoxxic: **My friend can you believe how fast the IkkiKazu world is growing? I'm so proud! And thank you muchly for the review and your notes on liking my writing style. It really means a lot to me. I hope to see some more from you, soon, your writing is beautiful and very addicting.

**Slifer: **Kazu is my favorite too!! (Like you couldn't tell). Happy to hear you like the characterization. It's one of my main focuses - I hate making people OOC so I'm really relieved to hear you say that. I'll update as much as I can, but I'm in college now and it makes it hard to find the time.

**HagarenFanGirl: **I was reading you fic and I must say that I am very impressed. Be my friend ! lol, you have no idea how giddy I get when I find other IkkiKazu shippers and I understand what you mean about there not being many fics to browse through. It's not known very well yet, but give it time and people will figure it out, and fics will come flowing in!! Until then, it's up to us! (heroic pose)

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**Air Gear**

_a fiction by Crimson Vixen_

**Restless**

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Whenever Kazu walked in regular sneakers at a regular pace, he felt heavy, even if they did weigh less than his AT's. The wheels adding pounds had nothing to do with it; it was all about what he was able to do _with _them. With regular shoes, he felt anchored, almost, like there were shackles clutching at his ankles. And he felt less than average. He felt slow, held back, because without AT, it didn't matter how fast he was. He wasn't uncatchable. Every once and a while, it would put him in a fowl mood.

The bars around his cage – around this city – mocked him when he wasn't wearing AT's.

The clouds were plentiful but not overshadowing, letting the moon shine through brightly on occasion. Which was good because without the moon he might have had a hard time seeing his hand in front of his face. The wind blew at him on that cool night. More than usual, it felt like. Without his hat, the night air was biting and he found his ears were viciously sensitive to it's icy touch. He tugged his hood up over his head to shield them, though it just wasn't the same. Air still flooded in and taunted him, and he clenched his teeth together irritably.

The conclusion that jumped out at him first when he realized he was missing his favorite beanie was that someone had stolen it. People don't need a reason to take things that don't belong to them these days. If it's there, it's fair game. That was just the way things worked. He didn't want to have to get a new one, either. The one he had was special and he was having a hard time forgiving himself for leaving it behind somewhere. Replacing it just wouldn't be the same, considering how he'd gotten it.

It wasn't like he wore it all the time. There were times he went hatless, but he still never left it far from reach. Besides, sometimes he felt naked without it.

Stuffing his fists into the front pocket of his favorite blue hoodie, he sniffed, and scowled. Even his hands were getting cold. He hated to admit it, but he was a freeze baby. A chilly breeze could turn his nose red and numb his digits if he stood out long enough. No one needed to know that, though.

Lately, he'd been finding himself by that damn fence. It was a tall fence, climbable, but that wasn't the point. Kazu had a deep loathing for that scrap of metal or anything similar to it, yet he kept returning to it at odd hours of the night. It wasn't so much what it was, just what it represented. He would lean against it and think, to remind himself of who he was. Where he stood in this ever-shrinking world.

And that was a fading shadow who was trying to climb up and was destined to fall. That damn fence was a cruel reminder of that. He could run and fly and aim for the top but in the end there was always something stopping him, as if telling him he was never meant to shine.

Over the past couple of days, he'd found a nice and cozy spot. It was a bent and damaged part of the crisscross wiring, rusted a bit, and Kazu felt drawn to it. Here he would sit or stand, slouching either way, and he wouldn't go home until the night had turned into day or he got too cold. When he got back, no one ever questioned where he was. True, he'd been growing tired as time went on, and he was having a harder time concentrating in school and keeping up with Ikki's training, but he kept shrugging it off. He liked it as much as he hated it; coming here, suffering for it when it came time to get through the day. A habit he had somehow grown over time.

Another thing to hate about himself.

Surprisingly, no one ever found him here, or no one ever looked. Not that a blocked off and abandoned part of the city was a tourist attraction or anything, but it was alright with him. He didn't really want to be found. He thought little enough of himself as it was so he didn't need someone he knew to find him brooding there. At that god damned fence.

That's not the kind of attention he wanted.

Sometimes he wondered if he was truly never meant to be anything more than what he already was. Just a backdrop to the real star. It wasn't so much he wanted to be the best. He could care less about being top dog. All he wanted was the acknowledgment that he was worth something. Or that he existed. Then maybe he'd just wing it from there. But there was no way he could compare with someone like Ikki. The crow was so natural and so flowing, he might as well have been born with AT's on his feet. Of course, topping Ikki was never really on his list of things to do. It just kinda set the bar, so to speak. In order to prove that he wasn't worthless, at least in Kazu's eyes, he had to reach that bar.

It was why he refused to call Ikki for back up when he and Onigiri were at the school late one night and ran into Buccha for the first time. He was still new to riding on wheels, a newborn bird trying out his wings for the first time, and still he felt like he held some sort of power. To this day he couldn't fathom how he thought he and Onigiri could take on Buccha and his cronies at the time, but they had tried. The first thing he noticed about the large boy was that he was, well, _large. _And Kazu specifically remembered thinking how he could later tell Ikki what had happened and how he would be praised for it. That he, Mikura Kazuma was able to handle himself against a giant like Buccha. But it hadn't worked out that way at all. He had been knocked around like a rag doll and wrapped in bandages and all he could do for Ikki was apologize and show up later in crutches to cheer for him when Ikki was getting his revenge. For _them_.

Even when his throat was pinned to the wall, his feet kicking and vision watering, all he could think about was Ikki and what he would say when he found out. Or how the news would reach his ears. What he would think of him after it was all said and done.

It was what motivated him to land a punch when he should have kept falling to the ground and play dead. Maybe then they would have given him and Onigiri a break. But that was out of the question back then because that wouldn't prove anything. He wanted to fight his own battles without relying on anyone else. And certainly, without calling on Ikki to save him.

It happened again when Kitsune had introduced him to a team that wanted him to play a major role. He was flattered and had thought that he had finally been giving his chance in the sun, because someone was actually looking to _him _for once. But as conversations went forward he had to decline because their terms were betraying Ikki. That had gotten him into a fight, and even though he had held his own, he was left battered and bruise and the next day Emiri was whining over his face, and Ikki had commented on his poor fighting skills. He'd brushed the comment off well, but he thought about it often.

Ikki was the reason he'd taken up AT in the first place, after all. It was only natural, or at least it was natural for someone like Kazu, to want to prove himself capable.

Because he didn't want Ikki to forget him.

He swallowed a lump and grinded his teeth, slightly annoyed once again that he didn't have his hat to keep his hair from falling into his eyes.

The night was middle aged at this time, the cool air giving the fence an arctic touch. He ran his knuckles absentmindedly across the metal as he watched his feet kick at the dirt and almost jumped when he felt his phone vibrate. But he didn't answer it. Didn't even take it out to look at the caller. Just let it vibrate in his pocket. When he was here, he didn't want to be bothered. When he was here, nothing else existed.

Just him and that stinkin' fence. And the tense air between them that dared him to make a move.

Kazu laughed at himself bitterly. Why did he insist on torturing himself this way? Especially when he should be out training, more so now than ever. Ever since he'd over heard a couple of bystanders and non riders talking about a rumor about some guy that could...

No, he shook his head violently. He didn't even want to think about it. It gave him a worthless feeling that he wanted more than anything to shake. What reputation he had managed to grab a hold of may be slipping through his fingers like water; slow enough that he could realize it, but too fast for him to do anything about it.

The fence was getting hard on his back, digging into his shoulder blades and carving imprints into his skin. So he sank to the ground with a small rattle of metal and rested his head back to gaze at the sky. The moon was exceptionally bright that night, casting an outline on the clouds, and like instinct, he reached out to it and wrapped his hand around it, then released it. Meditation, almost, Kazu had dubbed it. It was calming when he pretended he could reach such an unreachable thing.

It drove him into his thoughts, too. Like earlier, when he'd just up and ran off at the end of Ikki's little meeting. He wasn't entirely sure why he had done it – was probably as confused as Ikki must be. There was just something about seeing Akito wrapped around Ikki's arm like that that bothered him. Somehow it made him feel like Akito thought he was that much better than him, being able to cling so shamelessly to their leader in such a way. Tch, like he was closer to Ikki or like he knew him best. What a joke. Kazu knew him since they were kids. Knew his favorite color and food and season, knew how to poke at his nerves and what put him in a good mood. He'd yet to be able to get over the fact that it felt like Ikki had such a huge amount of trust and faith in Akito, even after knowing him for a shorter period of time. It didn't matter what Akito felt, Kazu kept telling himself, because he knew _nothing_ about him. Not like he did.

How childish. Fussing about it like some jealous girlfriend.

Kazu huffed, tucking his head deeper into his shoulders, blinking owlishly when he saw his own breath spiral into the air.

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* * *

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That night, Ikki had gone to sleep early, sparking a light worry from Ringo when she and her sisters had returned home. Usually Ikki was outside, or causing _some _sort of trouble, or at least awake. She said nothing.

He'd turned his light off and fell back onto his bed to clear his mind and rest his body, but before he could fall asleep, he flipped onto his back and put his hands behind his neck for support as he gazed at the darkness. Once his eyes started to adjust he found himself looking at the ceiling, tracing all the details with little interest.

Most of his thoughts overflowed him – not something he particularly wanted.

And tonight, for reasons unknown, he felt off. It only helped him fall asleep faster.

But it didn't last long. When he woke up, time had barely passed, and he wasn't surprised in the least to find Akito tangled with him in the sheets, but he was still never prepared for it. Waking up next to a boy felt awkward. Ikki's eyes shot wide and he tumbled onto the floor unceremoniously, taking half the sheets with him. As usual, Akito didn't even stir. Only sighed and took a light hold on Ikki's sheets and hugged them as if they were Ikki himself. The crow took a quick glance to the clock and frowned when he registered he had only gotten a couple of hours of sleep. The night was still young.

The distressing thing was, once Ikki woke up, he had a hard time getting back to sleep. And he certainly wasn't going to push Akito off the bed. Wasn't going to get back in with him either.

Groggily he got to his feet and scratched at the back of his head.

"Damn," the crow cursed quietly. Akito didn't _mean_ anything by crawling into bed with him, at least not that he could see. He was just reacting to basic human needs without question. That didn't make things any easier for Ikki, however, who had to deal with the teasing remarks and insults from the other members of the household, leaving him with the job of defending his sexuality. At least Akito hadn't woken him up with a kiss this morning. Ikki could still remember the first time, feeling silky lips on his, and opening his eyes to see the other boy's closed lids. Everyone remembered hearing him yelling at the top of his lungs, even from outside.

Now he was here, awake and not able to get back to sleep. It annoyed him, and he muttered about it while he sloppily tossed the sheets over Akito and made his way outside, where it was crisp and refreshing against his skin, and the moon was calling out to him. So Ikki went in the direction of it as though he could get closer. Briefly he wondered if he was the only one who had ever wanted to get closer to the moon.

His hands were warm and safe in his pockets, fingers twitching and absentmindedly fiddling with a piece of lint. He wished more nights could be like this; calming, gentle. Just a small break from the quick-paced adventure that seemed to find him everyday.

His heart thudded, and he couldn't understand why until he gaze to his left, spotting a familiar brush with a clean spider web. The crow swallowed and continued to skate down the abandoned road.

It was about that time when he felt it. The uneasy feeling that something that shouldn't be, was. Something rank creeped into his nose, and he made a face, bringing his sleeve up to block his senses from the smell. Part of his mind was screaming at him to turn around, head back home. Pretend he was never here. The other half was begging him to explore, that he'd later regret not fulfilling his curiosity.

Naturally, Ikki had to follow through. Taking a deep breath and holding it, he stepped further into the darkness, where less lights lined the streets and less people walked at night. The futher he went, the more alone he felt, until he couldn't see another soul. He turned the corner and immediately tripped over something.

First off, he was thankful he wore gloves or else his palms would have nasty cuts from the way he caught himself on the concrete. He landed in a puddle that last nights rain must have left behind, but the smell was strong here, and Ikki couldn't help feeling that water shouldn't feel so thick or smell so rank.

Again, his heart began to thud rapidly in his chest. Something just felt wrong. Blinking rapidly to force his eyes to adjust, he fervently felt around to get a feel of his surroundings. Cold hard ground. Wet and sticky. Some lump he couldn't identify. It was a big lump, much like the one forming in his throat, and once the darkness grew clearer, he had to suppress the bile trying to escape his stomach.

Ikki clutched at his gut as he scrambled hastily to his feet. Bodies, bodies, more bodies, shredded and dead and abandoned, twisted and mangled in ways that should never be possible. Their gazes were lifeless and hollow, yet Ikki looked into the empty irises of the one that caused his fall, as if he was trying to understand what was left unsaid.

Their gear was solid proof to Ikki that these were riders. The question was, how the hell did such a thing take place anyway? And why? Ikki slowly back away, feeling dirty and in shock, and sped off down the street a ways before stopping to empty the contents of his stomach. Then he was off to find help. Why, why, why, why...

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Time played a funny little trick on him then. A course of events took place that he couldn't remember, as if he did all these things that led up to the moment he was in but he was never really there. Like he had skipped a few chapters and ended up here, because it had all happened so fast. Because one minute he's racing down the street to find help, trying to keep his stomach from churning, and the next thing he knew, he was surrounded by red and blue lights, the spontaneous crackle of communicators, and he was holding a steaming cup of hot chocolate. Of course, how it had gotten in his hands, he had no idea.

The blanket that Ume had given him was made of soft wool, so it was welcomely warm. He shrugged it up further, covering his neck and shoulders with the gentle material, trying to block out all the voices, avoid looking at all the flashing lights, forget all the questions police had asked him because he didn't want to remember any of it. Of course, no amount of willpower he could muster up could fully erase the fresh imagery of mangle corpses out of his head, and the rotten luck that led _him_ to their discovery.

Ikki wasn't sure how he felt about things like fate. If there was no such thing and you were in control of your life. Or if it was all already decided for us, and we're just forced to walk the line that's been drawn out. Whatever it was, he didn't like it, and he certainly didn't understand it.

He was barely aware of the police leaving, somehow feeling that the moment was meant to drag on forever. He was too focused on the mumbling of the eldest sister, something about bringing cops so close to a family of riders being dangerous, even though it was a well hidden secret. But she couldn't bring herself to be angry, for more than obvious reasons. Another thing Ikki was aware of was Ringo's hands resting on his upper arms, giving him reassuring squeezes and softly kneading with her fingers. It was almost enough to put him asleep, and he might have, if it weren't for all those horrible pictures that cross his eyelids when he closed them.

Pathetic; that was the only word he could think of right now, making a face and hiding it underneath the blanket. He was no child, needing to be held and babied and told that everything was going to be ok. If anything, he just needed to know that people were around, and that the issue at hand was being taken care of. He was shaken, but didn't want to be coddled.

When the police and all their cars and questions finally pulled away and he was sure he was not going to be sleeping that night, Ikki mumbled to the others he was going to bed, pretending not to hear their replies and nagging and additional questions. Like that was all he needed.

Dragging himself up the stairs and dragging the blanket behind him, he made it to his room, happy that Akito was no longer in his bed. Either he'd gone to his own room or was downstairs or outside with the girls; he didn't have the mind to really pay attention to who was where. Just that he wasn't in his bed. He fell onto the mattress heavily, intent on just laying there until he was forced to get up again, or until the world ended. Whatever came first. So far he figured that faking sleep would work just as good as the real thing.

He paid extra close attention to the ticking of the clock, deciding it sounded louder when the second hand was on the top half of the face. Then he decided he was a little _too distracted._ With reason. Even rolling from side to side did nothing for him, not that he expected it to. When he stilled, he heard a light knock on his door and Ringo say his name.

But he didn't feel like interacting with anyone at the moment. He was too busy rerunning the events through his head and hating himself for things he had no control over. So he remained unmoving, pretending to sleep, and thankfully, Ringo was nice enough to pretend to believe him.

Or at least, that was what he had thought, until another knock came at the door a few minutes later, louder this time. Ikki's brows furrowed; Ringo didn't come across as the type to keep bugging him when he so obviously wanted to be left alone. His nose crinkled, wondering when it was he decided he was able to identify people by the way they knocked on other people's doors, but was quickly pulled from those thoughts when a new but recognizable voice sounded. The crow blinked and rolled onto his other side to spare a glance, only coming face to face with calm, dark eyes, shielded behind perfect frames. But not Ringo's.

Glasses made Sano look intelligent, and older than he actually was, and... younger at the same time. Ikki wasn't entirely sure that made sense, but that's how he always saw the man. To an extent, Ikki was happy to see another familiar face, but of all the faces...

"Sano," he spoke dryly. His voice almost betrayed him but he cleared it and asked the question that seemed the most appropriate. "What the hell... What're you doing here?"

The taller boy stood straight, dipping his head down and pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose with his middle finger. He was flashing a smug smile, one that Ikki didn't like, especially now of all times, since he really wasn't in the mood for any tricks or mind games. Or ... time games, in his case. Although, time (no pun intended) had proven to Ikki that Sano was on his side, that smile was hard to openly grasp with welcome arms. He trusted the iron clock's loyalty, but wasn't sure the he fully trusted him as a person just yet. Did that make sense?

There were times, after all, that he really, _really_ toyed with Ikki's patience.

"I'm simply here to look after you," he said, like it explained everything. That was one of the things that annoyed Ikki the most, he reminded himself as he scrunched his face openly. Sano had this way of speaking that would explain himself but not really. He would answer your question but at the same time, raise only more questions. Ikki addressed one of the more irritating ones.

"...And... why so late?"

Silence overtook the both of them, like Sano was cornered. The crow was willing to believe he had his reasons for being sent over, but did he really have to do it at such an ungodly hour of the night? Couldn't he at least have the respect to let him sleep and then announce himself in the morning?

He didn't receive an answer and Sano didn't really offer one, instead pushing his glasses up another time, avoiding it all together. It didn't matter, apparently. All that mattered was him. Ikki was too tired for explanations anyway.

He was the future Sky King. One of the things that felt so weird about it was that people were expecting him to claim that title. Like it wasn't an open challenge anymore. Like he had already taken it, just not officially. Sky King in training, if you will.

"I have a new mission," Sano spoke dramatically, just like he did everything else. He sounded like a child make believing is was an astronaut, about to embark on a dangerous adventure. "And that is to keep an eye on you until your journey is complete."

Ikki was impressed that the other boy wasn't bowing before him by now.

"Ohhh," he drawled slowly, expression fixed into aggravation, sarcasm oozing from his lips like a glass with too much wine. He gave a small nod. "So... like a babysitter."

Their gazes mingled, their bodies still. Ikki waited for the skilled rider to explain himself, to cover that label with some well disguised excuse, so he was really thrown off when Sano finally spoke.

"Yeah."

Ikki's fingers curled cruelly around the sheets. This night just kept on getting better and better. Hopefully nothing would show up in the news in the morning about what had happened that night, or that other riders didn't find out that Sano had been sent as his bodyguard. That would really ruin his reputation. He didn't want the guys to find out about it, either. He didn't need his friends on him about it. He wanted to keep it all hush-hush, because frankly, he didn't want to talk about it more than he had to.

He just... didn't want to _deal_ with it all.

"Do you have any idea what just happened?" the boy seethed through his teeth.

"I do," Sano replied all knowingly.

Ikki's lips thinned. He wasn't sure how news could travel so fast or exactly _how _the man may have gotten that information, but he didn't exactly doubt his knowledge. Over time, he'd learned not to question certain things. So Sano knew; that was great. Then why was he bothering him?

"I don't need you acting like a caretaker. I don't care that you're here, but stay out of my way," Ikki barked, sitting up on the bed now, not really in the best of moods. "I don't want to know that you're here, got it?"

"Of course."

How could someone obey what you say and still be so infuriating? His calm appearance irked the crow. It felt as though he wasn't being taken seriously. And those intense brown eyes were plastered to him, making him uncomfortable. He threw a pillow at him, but as expected, Sano didn't flinch.

"Keep your eyes to yourself, you pervert!"

He didn't know it was possible, but suddenly, Sano's presence in his house seemed less appealing than it was before. Somehow he'd forgotten just what kind of man Sano was, regardless of how strong of an asset he could prove to be in situations.

"What about the girls?"

"I'm not interested in - "

"That's not what I meant."

"They have already been informed of my being here."

Ikki noticed that if there was any fight of struggle in the matter, Sano pointedly left that information unsaid. He never expressed that the girls took an actual liking to the idea either.

That empty silence returned and Ikki shifted uncomfortably on the bed. The man that had once been his enemy, who had once beaten and even _flirted_ with his childhood friend, this perverted older man, was standing just at his door, in the dark, eying him. It made him feel naked. His teeth grinded and his body squirmed awkwardly before he pointed a stiff finger to the door.

"Just get out of here," he growled. "I don't want to see you."

"I understand you're mood, but..." Sano dropped his arms to his sides, lifting his chin and looking down on the younger boy. Ikki wasn't particularly fond of the feeling it gave him.

As soon as Sano's footsteps padded down the hallway and out of earshot, Ikki folded back over on the bed, letting out a huge sigh. He didn't even feel tired anymore, and even if he was up for sleeping, no one in this damn house seemed willing to let him.

Now, finally, _finally_ at peace, he could be left alone.

"Ikki?"

Oh for the love of...

The soft, almost feminine voice of non other than Akito.

He intended on faking sleep again; maybe Akito would take the bait, but he'd already given himself away with an impulsive groan. Ikki irritably hummed to let the small boy know he was listening. What, was there a line outside his door today or something? Of people ready to try and drive him insane and make sure he got no sleep that night?

Akito didn't say anything, but Ikki heard him moving around, and eventually felt him move onto the bed. Oh great, of course, tonight of all nights. Regardless, the crow shimmied over to allow Akito room on the mattress, not able to find the energy to argue or protest. He didn't even know what brought Akito to his bed, still. It could be nightmares, a fear of being alone, and if those were the cases, Ikki didn't have the heart to kick him out. But he never asked why, in fear of touching a subject he might later regret. On the bright side, being with someone else prevented him from thinking too much. And even though being alone was what he _wanted_, maybe being with someone tonight was what he _needed_.

Tiny limbs worked their way around him like a body pillow, small nose rubbing against the front of his shirt. Ikki tensed temporarily until he knew Akito had no intention on moving from his spot. So he let himself relax – as much as he could, anyway. It was easier said than done – and listened as soft snores began to fill the otherwise dead silent room.

He wondered what tomorrow would feel like – if the world would move on as though nothing had happened. Well, Ikki thought darkly, thats usually just how things worked. As long as they weren't directly involved, people didn't care. They'd just go on with their lives, thankful it wasn't them.

Perhaps, though, that was just human nature.

Akito moved in his sleep, craning his head around enough to brush against he pillow and move his precious eye patch. Ikki carefully moved it back in place. Akito and his cuddling he could deal with. It was Agito's attitude he didn't like facing, even if it _was_ a part of Akito himself. Nobody... ever _asks_ for two personalities. Accepting it is all you can really do.

"Ikki-kun," came that tender voice again. When had he woken up? Lazily, Ikki's heavy eyes landed on Akito's curiously wide ones. He was warm, always warm, and his heat radiated off of him.

"Mmm?"

"Something.. feels strange."

At first Ikki opened his mouth to mention it was probably the fact that they were both guys, sharing a bed, but on a second thought, he closed his mouth. It must not feel _so_ out there, if he was so ready to scoot aside to make room for the smaller boy. After a moment, he opened his mouth again.

"Strange like how?"

The smaller of the two squirmed until he was on his back and facing Ikki's ceiling, hands folded nearly atop his stomach.

"Like the winds are changing," he explained simply.

"It's nothing," Ikki replied instantly, perhaps a bit too quickly, not liking the idea of something else major hurdling his way. Usually he was up for any challenge, but lately... "Go to sleep."

And Akito did obediently, closing his eyes and re-latching himself onto the team leader's arm. Sure Ikki would like to chalk it up to being something like indigestion, whatever feeling it was Akito was referring to. Maybe he was just sensing the change of the seasons, but even he wasn't stupid enough to misplace an intuition like that. Sometimes, Ikki wished that Akito didn't have such damn good instincts.

Even though he didn't sleep, the morning still felt just like Ikki had expected it to. New, fresh, like it was nothing but some horrible dream. Boy wouldn't that be nice... It was going to take him a while to get over what he had seen, he knew, but the first step was to try and get through another day.

As per usual and as expected, Akito was still clinging to his arm, now numb from his hold. He was awake, eyes blinking twice before closing his eyes and leaning in close.

Somehow Ikki could always feel when Akito was going to do it. His lips were soft and slow moving, like time had been stretched, and Ikki had to rapidly blink himself awake before pulling away, wiping at his mouth.

"Dammit," he cursed. Screaming had gotten old because after a while, no one took him seriously. Just 'oh, he did it again.' Yelling had gotten him nowhere. He scrambled out of the bed, leaving Akito alone and smiling like a lovesick fool. Ikki's brows remained low as he grabbed his skates. Running on no sleep, an empty but not really hungry stomach, and a more than annoying night to dwell on, he immediately headed downstairs.

"Uhm..."

So soft and nervous, but firmly aiming to grab his attention; he recognized it immediately as Ringo's. That's right, he probably worried her last night. Feeling a little guilty, he turned around.

"Ahh..." he started nervously, putting a hand to the back of his neck and rolling his head to the side. "Good morning."

Real smooth. Act like you didn't screw up.

"Morning," Ringo smiled fully, glad to see the boy up and moving about so well. She looked at him like a lost puppy, or like he was ill. He didn't like it.

"Look, about last night..." he began, not knowing how to finish. He was never good at making apologies. Wasn't sure how to go about them without denting his boyish pride.

"You look tired, but you look as through you're feeling better," she cut him off, saving him, and pinning him all over again. "I'm glad."

"...Yeah..."

He hated awkward moments like this, where two people were thinking about the same thing and avoided the topic completely to avoid any tension. All it did was cause more. Ringo was still smiling fondly at him, and Ikki swallowed quickly.

"Just gonna... get some fresh air," he announced lamely, weakly pointing to the door and stumbling on his way to it. For a fraction of a second, he noted how Ringo's expression faltered, but quickly recovered. She wanted so badly to offer to go with him, to console him and comfort him, but Ikki just wants the type to accept something like that so easily.

"Ikki..."

"I don't know when I'll be back," he called lightly, out the door before anything else had the chance to happen. Surely, Ringo was left with her feet itching to chase after him, one hand possibly outstretched towards his retreating back. But he had shut the door before he could give himself the chance to turn around and fall into guilt again. Ringo's eyes could melt any guy.

And oh how he hated leaving the girl like that. But he needed to get out, get some fresh air. Clear his head a little. And he had an idea how.

It felt much, much colder than the day before, and Ikki zipped his jacket up all the way, something he rarely ever did. He moved quickly, letting his skates take him wherever they pleased, knowing where he was going only after he had gotten there. It would be a welcomed distraction and a weight off his shoulders. That's what he hoped, anyway, as he knocked on the door, heart feeling suspiciously heavy while he waited for that door to open.

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	5. Simple Mind Games

Oh my gosh! You guys.. make me so happy! Your reviews are wonderful and your stories inspire me and motivate me! So thank you all sooo much! XD As I've mentioned in a review or two, we're almost to the point where it's hard to complain about being deprived of Ikki and Kazu, since you are all uploading them one by one. You have NO idea how happy it makes me!

I share a bit of Kazu in me by being so unconfidant in myself and kinda shying away from attention. 'Coz personally, I don't like the way I write. My transitions are shaky and my paragraphs can be dull. But you guys make me feel so good about my story and I'm worried about disappointing you, so I'm working really hard! So this update is for you!

I know it's all going kind of slow right now but be patient and work with me – I hope to make it all worthwhile in the end. I know I'm taking my good old time building things up but just sit back and enjoy okay? Love you all! (And I also went back and fixed a few grammar issues I saw in the last chapter. If you catch any problems in this chapter, feel free to let me know and I'll go back and take care of it when I get the chance.)

Oh and sorry for the wait. Won't bother you with details.

**Thanks!**

**ren'ai-iki: **Akito kissing Ikki, yeah about that. Gotta have that tension, yeah? And see I told you that you would like Sano. See, I know you ! XD

**E-san: **Yeah, Sano is really one of those characters, huh? He's a pervert and a weirdo and we can't help but love him. And for some reason, I just saw Kazu as a freeze baby. It's just kind of cute, you know?

**HagarenFanGirl: **My poor boys. Ikki's night was rough but sadly I don't plan on letting things stop just like that. Sorry Ikki ! This update was slower and for that I'm sorry, but I hope this makes up for it.

**shoxxic: **wahaha I love you too! And I LOVE spoiling people! And thank you soooo much on compliments on Ikki and Kazu's character. Writing in character means a lot to me and you saying nice things about it makes my day.

This chapter sucks, in my opinion. I promise I will try hard to make the next one better.

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**Air Gear**

_a fiction by Crimson Vixen_

**Simple Mind Games**

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Thank God Kazu had opened the door when he had knocked. For one, it was late, and the odds of waking someone up by knocking were something he thought about only _after _he had actually done so. Secondly, it was to his shock and his relief that it was Kazu himself that had opened the door, blinking curiously and worriedly at him. To Ikki's dismay, his friend was fully dressed in his sweatshirt and jeans that were too big for him, held up by a belt. His hat was still gone.

The first thing he had asked, besides if he was busy and was up for a walk, was why he was already dressed for the occasion. After stumbling around on his own words for a while, he explained how he had just gotten home not even ten minutes prior to his arrival. This sparked a hope in the crow that Kazu would join him in his midnight stroll, and he was not disappointed. Kazu, once he had bundled up all nice and warm, went with him, and as the night grew older, they'd started practicing their riding, though neither boy was surprised.

Of course, Ikki was doing most of the tricks, trying to turn his mind to innocent, likable things instead of guilty, gory memories. Kazu stood back and watched as though it was what Ikki expected, though to tell the truth, Ikki felt a little odd being watched like that, like those light blue depths were drilling holes into his back and trying to read him. He wouldn't be surprised, either. Kazu was an amazingly good people watcher, and picked up a lot when playing the role of spectator.

Still, he wanted Kazu to join him, not eyeball him from afar. It felt wrong to do AT alone right now, for some reason. He thought this as he landed a rather difficult looking flip in the air, and he pounded his chest victoriously and looked Kazu's way, determined to get the other boy to take part.

He grinned wildly, and it was probably one of the biggest grins Kazu had ever seen, and that was saying a lot, since Ikki did that sort of thing all the time. The older boy pointed a proud thumb at himself, pearly whites daring anyone to go against him. And who would? Ikki was great, and that trick _was_ pretty damn amazing.

"One of these days, they're gonna name a move after me," the young crow stated boldly, his whole posture screaming confidence. Confidence that the blond had admired since they day they had met. The same confidence that attracted Kazu to him in the first place.

Kazu put on a grin as well, forcing himself to do something before his thoughts got the better of him and took a wrong turn. He felt pride for Ikki when the spiky haired boy went soaring through the air like a natural, and when he landed with the gracefulness of a dancer; it was always an amazing sight worth stopping dead in your tracks to watch. But along with that pride came a small spec of unwanted jealousy. It wasn't so much that Kazu wanted Ikki to mess up one of those days, but more like he wished he could do is as easily as Ikki made it look. It wasn't a 'why you' but a 'why not me'.

There was nothing wrong with being happy for your best friend when things were working out for him. But was it wrong to feel belittled when that something seems to take priority over you? Maybe it was all in his head.

Ikki had said so himself, that Kazu was and always will be his best friend, and that he was no way underneath him. And Kazu would tell himself this many times, repeated it in his head like a mantra, but old habits were hard to break, he supposed, because he still felt like the underdog. He could run around as much as he liked, but he would only end up going in circles, because he was leashed, bound by gravity and the public's eye. The one that would always cross the finish line, but do so in the shadow of the leader.

Quickly he patted Ikki hard on the back of his shoulder, jetting out an airy laugh and spreading his smile wide enough to raise his light blue eyes, somehow unable to stay down when Ikki was nearby.

"Ikki," he lowered his brows playfully. "At the rate your going, they're gonna name a whole _series_ of moves after you!"

That statement broadened the slightly taller boy's expression, as if saying 'yes you would be correct' and he puffed out his scrawny chest, placing his fists on his hips to strike a rather heroic looking pose, already feeling better.

Kazu only continued to smile at his friend. The Ikki 500 was a name that the blond thought to be somewhere between really cool and borderline silly as far as trick names were concerned. But it was nice to dream, at any rate, and Ikki was tenacious so, who knew? Never in his right mind would Kazu dash that unwavering faith, that everlasting dream to reach the top, especially when he was right there with him in the fantasy.

"Whew..." Ikki sighed loudly, wiping his arm across his beaded brow. "Up for a drink?"

"Yeah," Kazu nodded instinctively. It was like reflex; he had somehow unknowingly picked up the habit of agreeing to whatever Ikki was saying even before he could say it, or before Kazu could even register the words. Because he was thirsty, but still cold.

He let his friend lead him to the nearest soda machine, which wasn't very near at all, and Kazu already had his fingers wriggling around in his pocket for change before they even got there, listening to the jingling as he wriggled his fingers. Listlessly he counted the coins in his now open palm, and when he lifted his head, was surprised to see Ikki already holding one out to him, pushing it against his chest.

"Th-thanks," he mumbled shortly, taking the can in his hands and loudly popping it open and letting the fizz leak over his fingers. There was no reason for it, so why was he blushing like he was, clumsily taking the can and holding to himself like it was that precious. The blond shook his head; it was a soda, nothing to be stupefied over. People were going to start saying things about him.

Ikki was already guzzling his own as though it were his last hope in a dried up desert, fizz humorously dribbling down his chin and onto his shirt. But it looked refreshing, at least, even if the air around them was already cool. So Kazu mimicked the spiky haired boy, understanding now why Ikki had let it spill over his jaw and neck like he was – 'coz it felt so damn _good_ in it's own way. He found himself sighing through his fine nose and closing his eyes to the simple sensation.

When he was done downing the whole thing, he crinkled the can within his hand and waited for Ikki. Only when his friend was done, he had a glint in his eye, that look on his face. The blond gulped lightly; being a watcher of Ikki for a huge majority of his life, he knew how to read these little signs, and reading Ikki could be like reading the back of his hand sometimes, and by the looks of it now...

Well, he certainly had something up his sleeve.

"Tell me, are you up for a little game," he proposed, tossing the empty can up and catching it like a baseball. By game, of course, Ikki usually meant a test, or challenge. And as much as Kazu sometimes dreaded them, he never back down from them.

He only stared for a moment, lips thinning in the way he did when he was put up to bat like this. A huge part of him wouldn't let himself waver in front of someone like Ikki. He knew he was fast, though it did nothing for his opinion of his own ability. He hated when Ikki did this, probably doing so to boost self worth in the blond, but he always found himself focusing more on what Ikki would think of him in the end that he was of the actual task. It was a game of confidence that Kazu hated with a passion.

And Ikki was trying to fix him of that, it seemed, in his own little way. And that was how he did everything; through example.

By the time Kazu blinked himself back into the present, Ikki had his arm craned back and he threw the can with all his might. The blond's soft blue eyes followed it through the air curiously, face going stiff when his ears picked up on Ikki's sure voice giving him his orders.

"Better book it if you wanna catch it," he briefed with a tone of cocky authority. Kazu could just _hear_ the smile in his voice.

It registered in an instant yet still he hesitated, sparing a quick look to his friend, swallowing once more before shifting his weight to move forward in a burst of speed that left Ikki's jacket fluttering in the gust. He'd already wasted a few precious seconds – seconds that in a real fight, could have cost him everything. In a split second the air was like thunder to his ears, and he was squinting to see past the burn of the wind, narrowing in on that stupid falling can and leaning forward with his arm outstretched. It was hard to see it at night, but thankfully some of the streetlights would refresh its location.

Without too much thought he was able to tell he wouldn't make it in time at the rate he was going so he threw himself into the air and was just able to snatch the aluminum scrap, landing gracefully on the ground after one full rotation. His breath grew heavy to his ears and his heart drummed in his head, and he wondered briefly if Ikki got a kick out of these little games he played along with so easily. Or if he'd planned this particular one when he offered the drink in the first place. Kazu made a face, cherry cheeks standing out against the stark white of his pale skin. The rush was nice, though.

He made his way back to Ikki, who had a look of approval spreading across his young features. Something about that look made Kazu feel good on the inside, but as expected, he wasn't happy. Surely he could have done better. He could have started out sooner, ran faster, found a shortcut, _something. _There had to of been something he could have done differently; he just didn't think of it at the time.

"Running was something I could never beat you at," Ikki mono-toned warmly with a smile, with a soft fondness, and it was something he told Kazu often. It always rang a certain bell in his head, because he'd say it the same way every time. Maybe he was purposely trying to reiterate it for him, to prove a point, to get it in his head. "You're an amazing Storm Rider, Kazu. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Not even yourself."

But that part was new.

_But... I'm still not..._

It was obvious the boy was proud of Kazu, proud of his team, and he wanted them to feel the same way.

The seriousness in Ikki's tone was something Kazu made key not to ignore, even after he broke out into another grin and slung his arm around the blond.

"And besides – that was so cool!" he laughed loudly, eyes crinkling at the sides from smiling so big. It was contagious, Kazu couldn't help doing the same thing. The moment felt old and familiar, but it wasn't in a bad way. He opened his mouth to say something – he wasn't sure what, but closed it when he felt Ikki's hand on the back of his neck.

"Okay, that's good for now," he said. "I swear you just keep getting faster."

"Right?"

"I'm serious," Ikki said solidly, lowering his brows. "Take me seriously. We should do this more often."

Kazu blinked, taking a good long pause to let the words soak in. Then, just to make sure he understood...

"You mean, you and me?"

Ikki shrugged simply, grin washing over his face like a gentle wave. Seemingly out of nowhere he handed Kazu another full can, and held another one for himself. He clanked them together in a quick toast.

"Yeah, sure."

For whatever reason, the blond let out a relieved sigh.

"Yeah," he said softly, raising his hand and hitting his knuckles against Ikki's waiting ones, and then they chugged their newly opened beverages. Kazu stopped before Ikki did, letting curiosity get the better of him.

"But... why me?" he asked softly. What about Buccha or Onigiri. What about Akito? Easily his shoulders sagged, his hope quickly fading as the possibility creeped up that... maybe the reason Ikki offered a little extra training because he wasn't good enough. What if he was holding back the team? Like Ikki was too afraid to hurt his spirit on the matter or something. Of course Ikki usually wasn't the type to bite his tongue for the sake of someone else's feelings. But it was okay, anyway. Kazu preferred to have his feelings stepped on openly. It hurt less.

Ikki quickly downed his can and wiped at the underside of his nose with his finger.

"To be honest," the crow mumbled fondly, turning away a little. "It feels like its been forever."

For the most part, that was the truth. Not only was he trying to save them from the gap that threatened to distance them, and Ikki would freely admit that it was mostly him who was at fault, but he wanted to see just what it was that was keeping the jet so uptight. His eyes were straying, he was a bit more jumpy and although Kazu usually kept to himself, he was acting a lot more secretive.

His answer seemed to somewhat satisfy Kazu, who nodded tersely and held the can upside down over his head to get the last few drops.

"Been forever," Kazu repeated, grasping it and reassuring himself that he was just being paranoid. Ikki would never abandon him, after all. As a friend, or a fellow team member.

When had he gotten so frantic, anyway? He never used to be so worked up over stupid things that didn't even matter. Ikki wanted to spend a little more time with him, simple as that.

"I had a feeling you'd get it," Ikki beamed, then he added proudly, "I know you so well."

Kazu tried to smile at that, but couldn't force it on himself. Being tossed under the label of predictable bothered him. He didn't understand why, and he didn't try to. It just _did_. Sadly, when it came to everybody else, Ikki didn't belong under that category. The crow was always surprising somebody. Surpassing all the constantly rising expectations with flying colors, and getting more and more well known by the day with his skill and cocky attitude.

He wanted to be able to impress somebody too, and for some reason, Ikki felt like the only guy worth impressing.

_He _wanted to be able to pass expectations like that, to be viewed as something special, something more than just another guy on wheels that just happened to be on the same team as the boy who was said to be the next Sky King. Certainly not some guy that everyone could predict.

Kazu shuddered to chases away all those potentially dangerous thoughts, and brought his attention instead back to Ikki. The blond had always been perceptive, and now that he was able to get a better, closer look at the other boy, he could see the details he had missed before.

Ikki's eyes were heavy and tired, ghost of shadows looping underneath them. Not the bags of several sleepless nights, but closer to one long restless one. His movements were slower by just a fraction, and his smile, though strong, was weighty.

Suddenly the air felt different, like somehow _he_ was the one that had to look after someone else. With little hesitation, Kazu put a hand to Ikki's back. He'd gotten so strong so quickly, worked hard. Kazu could feel the small muscles on Ikki's back ripple when he breathed. What about him? Had he gotten any stronger as well? If he had, was it noticeable?

"Ikki," he breathed, watching the crow's face drop into seriousness, meeting his eyes. "You look like crap."

No one ever said honesty was pretty, and yeah, it wasn't the best way he could have gone about it. And the boy was used to be insulted, but Ikki tensed anyway.

"Didn't get much sleep last night," he shrugged a little too easily. _Please don't ask why, Please don't ask why, Please don't ask why..._

"Why's that?"

But Kazu was always suspicious, and on a constant quest for knowledge.

It felt wrong to lie to his childhood friend, and so he didn't plan on it. Evading some of the truth, however, was another matter entirely.

"Guess who dropped by?" he asked with a small laugh, trying to make the moment a little lighter before it had a chance to stray anywhere darker.

Kazu thinned his lips. Couldn't be Simca. Whenever Ikki talked about her, drool collected in the corner of his mouth, and his cheeks would turn pink. No one he knew would sneak into Ikki's house unless there was really – oh wait...

_Oh God _Kazu's skin flushed viciously and then drained, and he looked at Ikki almost unbelievingly. There was no telling how or why his mind jumped to the conclusion that it had, but there was always something inside of him that put him on edge about it.

"Please don't say Sano. Please don't tell me it's the Iron Clock."

"Then I won't. How'd you know?"

"Call it a hunch," Kazu shrugged stiffly. "A feeling in the pit of my stomach."

Instinct, he wanted to say. Ikki offered a sympathetic smirk. That was understandable; either Kazu was amazing at guessing, or he really did have a strange wire in his brain telling him when someone like that was around.

"The hell is he doing here?" Noticeably, Kazu's voice had adopted a defensive edge.

"Hell if I know."

Kazu huddled into himself, like a turtle to his shell, and a pout similar to a kid denied a free puppy.

"I'm not sure I like that guy," he mentioned bitterly.

"I know."

"Why the hell would he be here?" he asked again.

"I said I don't know. But I don't want the bastard breathing down my neck."

"That's just our luck."

Both boys stood there in agreeable silence, heads dropped low and staring at the ground and thinking generally the same thing. The crow shuddered and the jet did so with him. Not only did they both have a mutual respect and disgust for the man, but they both knew that with his presence, trouble probably wasn't tailing too far behind. And along with Akito's little premonition about the winds of change, Ikki himself felt something brewing. He even wished that those murders didn't bother him and that his feelings of them being important were misguided. And he certainly didn't want to dwell on this feeling that nights like this, enjoying time with people he cared about, were about to be cut short. That his world was beginning to spin just a little bit too fast.

"Ikki?" the blond spoke carefully. "You look really..."

"Like crap, I know. Sorry," Ikki blurted, cutting Kazu off. He listened intently to the silence that dances between them. In truth it didn't feel awkward to either of them. It was the kind of shared quiet that felt okay and natural and comfortable because they were friends. That knowledge was flattering, but Kazu broke it anyway.

"Uhm..."

Such a short, indescribably little sound, but it held so much.

"Uhm?" Ikki echoed, urging the boy they called 'Stealth' to continue.

"I know we're a team but, do you think that team members, I, that is to say, I mean, they... as in individuals, do some things on their own? For the team, and for themselves?" he stumbled verbally. He looked visibly flustered with himself and tried again. "I mean, should a team member fight some of his own battles... on his own, for the sake of his team?"

Ikki blinked. Where was all of this coming from? For sounding so jumbled, he understood every word. The crow jumped straight to the conclusion that Kazu was referring to some sort of inner struggle. Aiming to be like Ikki for most of his life, it made sense that he would seek his advice.

"His own battle, huh?"

"Yeah, and one where you can't bring others into it."

Ikki twisted his lips. Can't bring others in, or won't?

"Well..." Ikki jutted his chin and rubbed at it in sincere thought. "I think so, yeah. Everyone has the freedom to choose who and how they battle. Just remember that you can still call on me in a rut."

He felt silly tagging that onto the end but he often worried about Kazu when he battled things on his own. And a part of him hoped that he could be depended on by his comrades. As a leader, he felt a sort of duty over all of his team members, and even though they were all able to help themselves. Along with their strengths, he knew their weaknesses, and Ikki fought hard to protect those. Also, his little speech seemed to do well, though only for a moment. Perhaps those weren't the words he was looking for? Now the roles were reversed and Kazu was the one looking spacey.

"Yo," Ikki called, and their eyes met. "Kazu, if you're having problems you can always choose to do it alone. But when you ask for help from someone else, there's no shame in it."

Even though Ikki knew full well that he would have a hard time doing such a thing himself. But Kazu had a habit of finding his way into situations he didn't always seek help with when it came to getting out. There was no doubt in Ikki's mind that there _was_ something going on, and that Kazu had no intention of fessing up to it, at least at the moment. Still, he hoped that his friend would heed his advice if he really did find himself stuck. And he wished he could do more to help but at the moment, he hardly knew what to do with _himself_ and _his_ problems.

A breeze pushed past the both of them and Kazu absentmindedly rubbed at his exposed head. His shoulders tensed, like he was ashamed for ruining their time together by doubting him. It didn't matter how he felt about himself, whatever Ikki said, he meant it. It didn't mean he had to be right, but it was sincere.

"So what are your plans for tomorrow?"

"Huh? Oh, uh..." Kazu tried, eyes roaming everywhere except for Ikki, attempting to summon up the words he needed. "I'm not really sure. My sister is leaving tomorrow for school and so I'm gonna have the house to myself again."

That was right. Kazu's sister was in college now, and was only home for a short stay. His parents were still overseas and Kazu had been left home alone quite often because of it. But Kazu claimed that he enjoyed it, because he was never home much in the first place and when he was, he could do whatever he wanted. Still, it struck something in Ikki, and maybe it was just because he felt like they were drifting apart, but he spoke his next words before he realized he was speaking.

"You know, you should come and stay at my place."

And the idea floated around in the air for a little while as Kazu observed it.

"I dunno..."

"No one will be at your place, and if you really need to, you could just make a few trips to your house to do whatever chores you may have, or grab something you forgot... and if you want..."

"You always were really persistent..."

"I'll even help you pack."

"But what about... that guy?"

"What, Sano? I forgot about him... I'll tell him to behave."

His lips twitched into a smile, and he tugged his hood up higher to shield his ears. He didn't want anything to do with the master of time, but with Ikki there, he figured everything would be alright. They probably wouldn't even be home most of the time. And the girls all liked him and treated him like family so chances were they would be okay with it. After a minute, Kazu turned to puddy. After all, Ikki was offering.

"I think I would like that," he said, the reasons as to why still mingling and some undefined but he couldn't deny that the proposition struck something in him. At any rate, Ikki seemed just as relieved and happy as he felt, letting his shoulders sag with a sigh, and showing his foxy grin.

"Great! We can get your things tomorrow after your sister leaves."

"Sounds like a plan."

He wasn't sure why, but Ikki felt like he was making progress in something. He couldn't stand the way that his friend was starting to obsess over his progress as a Storm Rider. This might be just what he needed.

So that was it. As of tomorrow, Kazu would be living with Ikki for an undetermined amount of time. It was of course _after_ the decision was made that Ikki starting remembering the other pieces he had not given serious thought.. Sano, for example, and if he really would be able to keep the man under control, and how Kazu didn't know the reason _why_ the pervert was there in the first place. How would he keep the rest from Kazu? Perhaps, now that he thought about it, this was all bad timing. But he couldn't take it back now. Kazu looked so happy and they really did need to spend more time together. Perhaps he would be able to keep it all from the blond; what had happened.

In the end though, he had someone to help keep him busy. At least this way, his mind would be more at ease. At least a little bit.

Ikki still liked the idea but after splitting up with Kazu for the night and heading home, he was greeted by Sano just outside his house, and the crow started having his doubts. The older boy had a certain gleam about his stare, a sparkle in his eye, like he just _knew _something. It was the perfect way to ruin the night Kazu had saved.

"As fickle as a woman, you are," he said mockingly as Ikki crossed the front lawn, yet in a way that sounded almost degrading. As if he was hinting that it was one of the reasons he wasn't too fond of the female sex. "You insist and insist on being left alone to sleep and the second that you are, you are nowhere to be found."

"Not now, Iron," the crow waved him off easily, marching past him but well aware that he was being followed into the house.

"Or perhaps you planned it all along?"

"Yeah right. Leave me alone."

"I must tell you that I don't think this stage of childhood rebellion is a well timed one."

By now, Ikki was ignoring him. Or trying to, anyway.

"Dragging others into your personal affairs is nothing short of stupid."

That stopped Ikki dead in his tracks. He spun around sharply on his heel, finger shoved viciously in Sano's face and the tips of his toes pushing him higher.

"You were following me, weren't you?" he asked in a dangerously dark whisper. "That's why you were waiting here for me."

Sano made no effort to explain himself, nor did he shrug his indifference. He simply waited for Ikki to continue, as he somehow knew he would.

"I thought I told you I didn't want to know you were here. It hasn't even been a few hours and already you're testing my patience. And I'm not dragging anyone into anything."

"It would seem that lack of sleep makes you cranky."

"Shove it," the crow spat, then stopped in a short moment of reflection and then met Sano's eyes. "And uh, it's not just me. If you're going to be staying here for a while, stay out of everyones business. I mean it."

Sano seemed to acknowledge Ikki's little warning, knowing that regardless of any promises or agreements made, chances were there were going to be moments where he was going to have to intervene because Sano couldn't keep his eyes, and sometimes his hands, to himself.

"In all seriousness, though..." the brunette interjected before Ikki could storm up the stairs, _quietly_ of course, so as not to wake anyone up. "Do you really think it wise?"

Ikki rolled his dark eyes.

"Look, Kazu's going to be staying with us for a while and that's all there is to it. He doesn't have to know about what happened. See? Leaving him out."

Saying those words cut him. Keeping secrets from the very friend he was trying to reconnect with, him knowing that _keeping_ that secret was going to be a challenge, but mostly that everything Sano had been saying since he got here made so much sense, and Ikki was somewhat angry that he had been lacking the ability to think these things all the way through lately. Not only that, but memories were returning, and his stomach already burned with the images.

His hand gripped the railing tightly, refusing to turn around again and look at that cocky college student, for he knew that the second he laid eyes on that smug face, he would lose it. With a refreshing burst of energy he threw his weight into running up the rest of the stairs and shutting himself in his room. Akito was, not surprisingly, slumbering peacefully on his bed, tiny limbs sprawled in many directions like he had moved a lot in his sleep.

A new wind, Akito had told him. He felt like the winds were changing. He had failed to explain whether it was a good or bad change, but luck and instinct told him it was probably that of the negative sort.

Ikki, not wanting to wake the small boy, sat down next to his bed instead, and leaned against it. He ran his fingers through his pointy hair several times, trying to think with a clear head but not knowing where to start. He wanted Kazu to stay over, but he didn't want him or anyone else knowing about those murders, since they all probably had their own things going on. That didn't even count Akito, who was already under the same roof, and the tiny rider was just as, if not more perceptive as Kazu was. But Sano and his damn logic. How _was_ he supposed to keep something so fresh from his good friends? Well, they were good at keeping secrets, right? At least, he was when you told them to.

No point in wasting time thinking about it. Tomorrow he would help Kazu get settled in and then he would continue with his life like he always had. That incident in the ally was disturbing and it was likely that he would be fussing about it in his head for some time to come, but it was something that was bound to pass eventually.

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"There isn't a day that goes by on this earth, where lives are not lost. It's a fact."

The table that sat between the Devil and his workers was small and unstable, round in shape and moldy in texture. But it was enough to hold the game. Ironic, how he was addicted to card games, games of chance and luck. Some were games of everything or nothing. Some where easy and rewarding. He enjoyed games like Betrayal, Blackbird, Wraparound, and a little game he made up all his own, called Food Chain; a little game of faith and risk he usually found himself on top with.

The leader, face still shielded by a red and black painted mask, even in the safety of his own dark world, flipped through his cards easily, and with the flick of his wrist as smooth as a pro, he flung a single card onto the table. It was greedy game now that money had been placed into the pot, but it was still almost childish in its simplicity, but a game he loved regardless.

He'd been playing Uno since before he could remember. Though his version was slightly different. To draw a card you had to discard one. He liked to bet, and sometimes it was more than money. There were things like items, days of work, or who got the luck of dealing with the next target.

"Some things are just that simple," he had once said. "That doesn't make the outcome any less satisfying."

The other three players put down their cards, watching the pile increase with a steady flow of patterns and colors, colors of the Devil, and when their leaders turn arose, his lips curled into a smile. His lithe fingers hovered over his hand, pinching a single one and eying the other players. All of them tough, all of them obedient, all of them under him.

"In most any game of cards, you cannot help the cards you are dealt, but when you handle them right, you can still come out on top," he cooed lightly, setting a card down. A Jack of Hearts. "I'd go so far as to say that life is a card game."

A light snicker.

"After all, you are in control, but only to an extent. But that little piece of control is all you need."

The other players took their turns without a fuss, sitting quietly with their ears perked.

"Understand that you cannot have success without sacrifice," he continued, discarding and grabbing a new card in its place. "In life, you cannot get what you want unless you give up something in return. So for something like this, to earn the title of King, sacrifice is a necessity."

He placed down his next card, the freshly picked one, and slid some more money onto the center of the table.

"You mean... play God's hand."

It was not a question, merely a statement confirming the one prior, catching on to what he was talking about. And the answer was already laid out in front of them. They already knew what they were meant to do before the game had even started. Their leader didn't like it when things stood in his way, and he would do absolutely anything necessary in order to get what he wanted. That's what they were for. And right now, he had his eye set on becoming the Sky King, a title that was hanging so fragile, close enough for him to reach. The problem with it being close enough to reach was that it was close enough for anyone to reach.

He wanted to get there first. And nothing was to big or too small of a sacrifice to get it.

He grinned as he set down another card, an Ace of Hearts, Ace being their wild card, and changed the order of the deck. With mild entertainment, he watched the other's faces expectedly fall. And like fair players they took their turn, knowing full well that their boss had won this round, and when his turn came, they found they were right.

Sacrifice. He was almost obsessed with it.

"How about a second game. A different one," one of them spoke horsely, scooping up all the cards with abnormally slender arms and shuffling them.

"You always did like a gamble, Weaver. A trouble maker, you are."

Weaver let out a sickly sound of agreement. His body was lanky like wilting vines, his entire face wrapped in a maroon strip of cloth, all but two beady eyes that stared out from the dark shadows. He wore a pack over his shoulders, that seemed attached to his spine. It was metallic in texture. He hissed evenly, chucking the players their new hands.

"What about you, Mantis?"

The reply was delayed, and at first, Weaver wasn't sure if the other had heard him. But then he heard the slicing of air, the light tapping of long nails on the wooden table. The pile of cards that were placed in front of him were now in his hand, even though neither men were able to catch it with their eyes.

"I don't start trouble, I let trouble find me." his said, voice low and dangerous. His willowy face scrunched up and then straightened again as he cleared his throat. A short flick of a lighter sounded and shortly illuminated his bony cheeks, thin lips and sharp chin. A cloud of thick smoke swirled out into the dim light dangling over the table. "But I don't mind playing a game or two when a situation presents itself."

He shuffled his own personal cards.

"What's the name of the game?"


	6. Think Before You Act

**A/N: **Sorry, I think this chapter is a little shorter than the others, and sorry for the long wait. If it means anything to you, the next chapter is already written up, I just need to look it over. I'm debating whether or not I want to find a beta, since I keep finding mistakes after I post, even if I've checked it several times already. Speaking of, I went back and fixed whatever errors I found in previous chapters. Don't be afraid to tell me when you see those little buggers, kay?

AND my offer still stands, that I'm up and open for any suggestions for the story. I will read all, consider all, and us what I think works. Just remember the main pairing remains the same.

Now for my thank you's !

**E-san: **Yup, that sums it up pretty good. Think of it as a lesson for every unconfident soul out there, that there are still battles you need to take care of on your own.

**Blizzaris: **Thank you - that means a lot to me! I'm a real stiff for being in character, as I think I've said before, so I'm flattered that you can easily say such a wonderful thing!

**MindFuel: **Thanks! Going in depth is always loads of fun for me, because that deeper you go, the more interesting a fic can get. And I'm glad you feel like you can relate to everything - that's another thing I enjoy portraying. It's good to know it works.

I think there was another review or two but it was posted to another chapter, and so, I don't know who it was or what they said, but all of my reviews are sweet, so if you know who you are, thank you! The more reviews I get, the faster I post the next chapter. Mwuahah how's that for evil?

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**Air Gear**

_a fiction by Crimson Vixen_

**Think Before You Act**

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"_And then we held the moon," Emiri said with the softest of smiles, the memory dancing in her eyes like the reflection of a setting sun on water. Moons reminded her of him. That and gusts of wind, streams from jets in the sky, the color blue, gentle, baby blue... _

_She remembered that night like it was yesterday. The night was calming and the sky was clear enough to see the moon. She had found Kazu sitting alone, gazing at it almost as if he was trying to figure something out from it all. Like the moon had a handful of secrets and he was just an unworthy soul trying to piece it all together._

_He had shared a moment with her that night, explaining how he saw that giant, glowing moon, and he had shown her how to grasp it in her hand. His skin was warm around her wrist, his breath soft against her cheek, his eyes glossy and dream-like in the twilight. She never knew it was possible to hold something so far away in your hands, not until that moment._

"_It was so wonderful."_

_Her closest friend and fellow track runner, Yayoi, listened intently, chin rested carefully in her small hands. Her eyes remained steady and focused, trying to show Emiri that she was interested in every word she was saying._

"_So we can add deep thinker to the list," Yayoi ticked off playfully on her fingers. Emiri nodded wildly, biting her tongue to keep herself from listing a million other things that attracted her to the rider. She kept playing with the object in her hands to keep herself distracted. Kazu's hat hadn't left her side since she had found it abandoned on the classroom floor. She was waiting in such intense anticipation to return it to its rightful owner and see his reaction. He would thank her, yes, but how? A kiss was just too much to ask for. A hug, maybe? Although a simple smile would be enough._

"_Emiri..? Emiri!"_

"_Huh!?" the look on Yayoi's face only proved she had been calling her name for a while now. The love struck girl blushed and offered a sheepish smile._

"_Try not to space out on me. One of these days, you're gonna have to tell him, you know," Yayoi went on explaining, always one to keep her friend on track with these things. "If you don't, he's still bound to find out eventually. Or someone else might make a move on him. You don't want that to happen, do you? He and his friends seem to be the only ones that don't get it. Or if they do, they just... Are you smelling that hat?"_

_Emiri's eyes popped open from their dreamy half lidded state, nose buried in the soft material of Kazu's beanie, taking in the sharp scent of spice and rain._

"_You've got it bad," Yayoi shook her head with a somewhat sad smile. "Did you even hear a word I said?"_

"_I did!" the other girl quickly defended herself, tightening her grip. "And I know. But you know it's just not as easy as that."_

"_Yeah," the taller girl agreed, then snatched the hat out of Emiri's unsuspecting fingers. "But you shouldn't let anyone get away. When you feel something, act on it. And don't let anything stop you."_

_While Emiri's eyes sparkled at her friend's words, her arm greedily outstretched for the stolen article until Yayoi sighed and gave it back. The other runner quickly tucked it into the safety of her lap. _

"_I wish I could be that brave." As brave as you and him, she added silently and smiled softly, always admiring her friend for the way she saw these kinds of things. Sometimes though, she wondered where these beliefs originated from, seeing how she had never seen Yayoi show interest in anyone before._

_Regardless of how inspiring her pretty words were, it did nothing for her hesitation on the subject. She almost wanted to be stuck in this moment forever, just holding his possession and admiring him from afar and dreaming of his smile. Better than risking rejection, if anything._

"_I mean it. What's the point of loving someone in secret of that's all you're ever going to allow it to be? Love and lost, Emiri. It's better to love and lost."_

_Perhaps this was why they were such good friends. They were somewhat opposites of one another. Emiri was more reserved and shy and scared of personal confrontation, and Yayoi was all the things she wanted to be. Brave and smart and outgoing. Whenever she spoke, she made painful things sound like they didn't hurt so much. Like a bandage before the injury. And when she told you things you wanted to hear, it was like preparing you for the battle, almost as if she spoke from experience and was passing on her wisdom._

_The best part was, none of it was sugar coated. And in Emiri's eyes, that was what she needed the most._

"_Thank you," Emiri sighed, feeling lighter._

"_Any time. Need a refill?" Yayoi shrugged it off easily, nodding towards both of their now empty mugs. There was nothing quite like a slumber party and hot cocoa on a chilly night. Emiri handed her cup to Yayoi as she made her way to the kitchen for refills, leaving the other girl to hug her knees in thought while she waited. She wasn't fully able to explain her gratitude toward her best friend, as it felt like the older girl was always looking out for her and guiding her. Lending her courage when she needed it. _

_Yayoi came back quickly and with two steaming cups at hand. She set them both on the floor as she sat down, straightening her pajamas and warning Emiri that the drinks were hot._

"_Now where were we?"_

_That was another thing Emiri admired. Her friend's sincere interest in her somewhat obsessive lust for her crush. She could talk about him and analyze him for hours, days, and Yayoi's ears were constantly wide open. She would even throw in her two cents every now and again. And even with Emiri growing slightly more embarrassed with every minute she spent verbally fawning over some boy, she couldn't resist the offer to do it. _

_Somehow, she had a feeling Yayoi knew that, too._

_--_

Emiri nodded determinedly to herself. She remembered talking to Yayoi last night clearly, and it landed her here tonight; alone and secluded in the elementary school parking lot. At least no one would see her. Knowing that Yayoi was right wasn't enough. That's why she chose to find her own way to settle things.

"Gotta confront him eventually," she reminded herself. The actual way she did it, however, was completely up to her.

Granted, she was broke now, only discovering just how expensive a pair of Air Trecks could be after she got them, but she hardly regretted it. Kazu and herself were both destined to be runners, in two different senses. She was a trackie, made to run in circles in a set path, and he was a rider born to break wind wherever he chose. She was fast but nowhere fast enough, so she had bought these things in hopes of getting just a little bit closer, and little bit more recognizable, in a world were AT was the only thing that kept her from him.

To him, she was just another blur of colors in the corner of his vision. But one day, she hoped to be the center of that vision.

She was all giddy just thinking about it. The look of surprise on the blonde's face when he saw her attempting to ride, the blush that would creep along his cheekbones when she announced he was her inspiration, and from there her mind wandered from one girlish thing to another. Anywhere from a flattered 'thank you' to teaching her how to ride, hand in hers, to him sweeping her off his feet and whisking her away.

Emiri puffed. But he was still a guy, and guys didn't do that. Still nice to daydream though. Yayoi had told her that guilty pleasures like that were healthy, just so long as they stayed in her head and didn't get carried away. That made her giggle.

Her dream cloud exploded with that thought and she dropped her newly purchased Air Trecks to the pavement with a clatter. Things felt different at night somehow, when you were alone, and when you didn't want anyone to see you. Hastily she grabbed the fallen skates, brushing her hand against her coat pocket just to make sure the hat was still there. Without her really knowing she had planned it all out in her head.

Find him, while wearing AT's, hand him his lost hat, see him smile, tell him things that have been swarming in her head, hope for the best from there.

She gave a calming breath and leaned against the swing set bars to take off her shoes and switch them with the newly purchased skates. As she did this, she took a long glance at the instructions sitting on the ground. Over and over she read the cover.

**AT – the revolution of extreme sports. Welcome to the future, welcome to the sky.**

_Nervous. Just nervous, but no reason to be_, she mentally declared when she started to sense her breath shaking. Would she be able to pull it off? It didn't matter if she perfected her riding, all that mattered would be her attempt. All that mattered was the right people noticing how hard she was trying.

At first, after she'd gotten them on, she just stayed there, not sure how to balance herself with that first initial step, but then closed her eyes and blindly extended her foot. Nothing would be accomplished by just standing there wishing.

Wobbly, but still standing, she held her breath.

_Okay. Not so bad. Crawl before you walk, and... walk before you run. Get a feel for it. Run before you... ride and ride... before you fly! Get a feel for it._

With that thought she locked the wheels and took a step. Learning to walk normally with the wheels locked might help her get a good idea of how they felt on her feet. Besides, she had the whole night to herself and no school in the morning.

She gave a hefty sigh, biting her lower lip, hoping that in the end she would get her money's worth.

--

* * *

--

"Ah - !! You filthy pig!"

Onigiri was used to insults like this and thus, was unaffected by them when they rang out into the air. He didn't see it as being perverted, but as an appreciation of fine art. But the stout teen was not going to lie to himself. He _did_ get a kick out of chasing skirts. Ironically enough, it wasn't even the sights that got him smiling so stupidly, but the reaction of the very girls he was chasing. It was just so… so cute.

"You'd think they'd by somewhat flattered," Onigiri told himself often. "At least just a little."

Then again, he would remind himself, every woman and their mother whined about their figure, even when Onigiri, the lady master himself, had yet to see a woman that was even the least bit flawed. And perhaps it was not appreciation in the right sense, but it was appreciation nonetheless. Surely he couldn't be the only one to see that.

Onigiri crossed his arms and let his solitary AT guide him across the pavement. Over time, he'd built the stamina and resistance to overcome the head rush right away. The only annoying part was the hum and vibration of the tiny motor against his skull, but after a minute or two, even that was unnoticeable. Some girls recognized him, and it was understandable why they were running away before he got too close, because he was kind of hard to miss. He didn't care though, he was faster and they couldn't catch him.

'Course, every now and again…

_slap !_

Somehow Onigiri managed to hold his balance after that last hit. He cradled his cheek with his hand, licking at the inside of his mouth for any sign of swelling. Even as the girl walked away, he kept staring. She had a very cute angry stomp. It wiggled her hips a little more than usual.

But whenever he would tire for the day, he would get a rather disapproving look from Buccha, lips usually twisted in mid chew. Every time he would say something along the same lines as he usually did, in hopes that maybe one day, something would snap in Onigiri's head, but his hopes weren't very high. Onigiri was doing something that a lot of boys wouldn't mind doing, he was just the only one stupid enough to go through with it with such little guilt.

"One of these days…" Buccha started to grumble, picking at a chicken leg with his teeth.

"… A girl is going to put me in my place," Onigiri cockily finished.

"One of these days!"

"Yeah yeah, well, I'll wait for that day," he waved it off, setting his skate on the ground and sitting next to the much larger boy. The day was annoyingly chilly for being so sunny, and the girls were all shivering. Onigiri felt kind of bad for them, having to wear skirts even on cold days like this, no matter how much he liked it that way.

"Is that the only reason you go to school in the mornings?" Buccha asked after a little while, zipping up his jacket and licking his lips. He glowered, they were starting to get chapped, and food was that much less enjoyable with chapped lips.

"Maybe," Onigiri replied. "I'm not really all that sure."

"Well if anything it sure looks that way."

"You can't tell me that you don't find a vast majority of these girls to be attractive, even to someone like you."

Well! Buccha wasn't too sure what he meant exactly by 'someone like him' and he resisted the urge to ask.

"Yeah, they're all quite appealing. But have you ever actually met and talked with any of them?"

"Hmm?"

"'Cause I'm sure that if you did, you wouldn't find as many of them as attractive as you have before."

Just as he finished his little explanation, he remembered that he was talking to the boy that once tried to flirt with an enemy because she had a fully developed body. He let out a hopeless sigh and gave Onigiri a sad look, praying that he understood his point. He didn't see any sign of recognition.

Instead the stout young man turned the conversations around completely, intentionally or not, Buccha couldn't tell.

"So it's been a while since Ikki called us all together," he mumbled, waving his hand in the air. "Well not so much a while, but it's not like him to go a day without something of the sort."

"I know what you mean," Buccha nodded, feeling a little rusty himself. He rolled his shoulders back and slumped forward, casting a sideways glance to his friend. "Is he feeling sick or something?"

"Ikki? Naw he doesn't get sick. And even if he did…"

"Good point."

"It also feels like we haven't gotten anything done in a while."

"No one's challenged us."

"Think they're afraid?"

"Naw," Buccha shook his head. "No way. If anything they would die for the chance to challenge us. I just think there's a dull streak when it comes to Storm Riders right now. It's not just us - I haven't heard about _any_ kind of battle going on for a while now."

"Yeah, I guess so… Think there's something going on?"

"Does it bother you?" Buccha spouted, not answering the other boy's question.

"Hmm?"

"Not training every day."

"Oh…" Onigiri sighed heavily, letting himself fall back onto the grass and look up at the clouds overhead. "It's a change. It's weird. I don't know if it bothers me or not."

"Come to think of it, I haven't even seen Ikki outside of school the past couple of days."

Onigiri nodded his head, lips tightly pressed together. He was a creature of habit that had a hard time with change, and this was certainly a change from the routine he was used to.

"I have," Onigiri mentioned, and didn't dive into any detail after that. "I'm going to catch him after school tomorrow."

That was, of course, if he was able to catch him before he ran off somewhere. Where the hell was he anyway?

--

* * *

--

Somehow, Ikki's house felt different with bags under his arms. He would have felt like he was intruding if it wasn't for the girl's welcoming faces. Even so, he still felt a little out of place. Walking into a household of 6, 7 you included the pervert, most people would naturally feel a bit rude.

He wore what he usually did; cozy pants and loose hoodie, AT's slung over his shoulder and a duffle bag under one arm and a lowly angled cap with the words 'sleek' sloppily scribbled across the front placed on his head that Ikki refused to comment on.

"We don't have anymore spare bedrooms," Mikan mentioned firstly to prevent him from carrying his things upstairs unnecessarily. "So you're just gonna hafta settle for the couch."

"It's fine, thank you," the blonde mumbled politely, setting all his stuff against the side of the sofa, hoping it was ok but not really knowing what else he was supposed to do with it. No one seemed to mind it, at any rate.

"It's nothing," the girl waved it off, then turned to Ikki. "But seriously, two guests is enough. This house can only hold so many people."

Two… That's right, Ikki slumped, but that wasn't fair. He personally _invited_ Kazu here, while Iron just never went away. For once Ikki thought it best to bite his tongue and nod instead, refusing to risk a beating by the girl in front of his best friend, grabbing Kazu's sleeve and dragging him to the next room. Kazu made sure to offer a wave and one more thank you before he was pulled out of sight, laughing nervously like some middleman.

He straightened out once Ikki let him go to pour himself a glass of water from the kitchen sink. The crow motioned to Kazu's skates before gulping his drink, and the jet did as he was instructed, bending over to put them on without any question.

"So," he sighed, tugging the laces tight. "Mikan seemed a little tense. Or was that just me?"

Ikki poured the remaining water into the sink and licked his lips.

"Just a little. It's got nothing to do with you, if that's what you think. It just seems like all I've been doing lately is attracting trouble."

"Yeah?" Kazu pushed, standing up and leaning back against the counter. Ikki gulped, wondering if it was too much information already or if he was just being paranoid. "You mean Iron?"

He wanted Kazu to be here, but things felt crowded, and things felt heavy. Things were not the way they should be.

"Yeah," he said. "Iron."

"Something's not right, huh?" Kazu said suddenly, catching Ikki off guard. With a questioning hum he turned his head.

"Wha..."

"Iron. Why would he show up unless he had a reason? Guys like him seem like they have a motive behind everything they do."

Well that was true. It did feel like every time Sano did something unspeakable or perverted, he had his own logic and reasoning behind it, even if it was a stupid one. Ikki shook his head; he knew all of this already, didn't he? Sano told him himself that he was here to look after him while he claimed his title, and why would he do such a thing unless he was sent to do so, or an obstacle was heading his way that he didn't know about?

"Are we going?"

The crow snapped out of his daze, seeing Kazu already set up and waiting by the door. A ride was something he really needed at the moment; something to get all the thoughts out of his head, if even for just a little while.

"Yeah," he sighed, strapping his own pair tightly and stepped out into the sun that he loved so much, Kazu, naturally, at his heels. Somehow, he felt this day would be getting better at it went on.

"Where are you two going, if I may ask?"

But he'd been wrong before.

Both boys froze momentarily, Ikki because he just didn't need this right now, Kazu because he knew that voice.

"What do you want? I'm not doing anything wrong."

"That's not what I asked," Sano pressed in a rather annoying manner, a glare in his glasses hiding whatever look he held in his eyes. It was only after he turned his head slightly that the glare vanished and Ikki could see Sano eying his friend like some predator. Apparently, and not too surprisingly, Kazu could sense it too. It wasn't like it was any secret; Sano had given away his interest in the blonde during that battle, practically getting off when Kazu's voice screamed itself raw, smirking at the flushing skin of the blonde's smooth face. Needless to say, the boy was feeling rather uncomfortable right now. Blushing just a little, too.

"Out," Ikki finally blurted his answer, grabbing Kazu by the elbow and escorting him out. "We're going out."

The Iron Clock chuckled under his breath but Ikki could still hear it. For all he knew, Iron _meant_ for him to hear it. He knew what he meant by 'going out' but leave it to a pervert like him to take it _that _way. Then he himself blushed angrily and shoved his friend the rest of the way out the entryway, turning once really quick to shoot a threatening glare before shutting the door loudly behind them.

Iron looked casually at the time. Only nine at night. It was already dark outside and the crow was running around like he didn't have a care in the world. Sure he was doing a wonderful job ignoring the previous night, what with the help of friends to keep him occupied, but how long did he expect to keep _that_ up?

Not wanting to give the boys much time to get ahead, Iron pushed the door open and called out to the stubborn bird. As expected, when he turned, he looked furious.

"Leave. Us. Alone," he growled. His irritation was valid, but that didn't make his actions any less stupid. He knew he'd promised Ikki to keep things hush hush, but…

"Is it maybe possible that you haven't thought this through?"

Ikki's glare grew hotter. Kazu's face went confused.

"I mean.. considering last night,: Iron tried as much as he could without blurting it all completely. Considering they could both be very sharp boys, it was hard to hint something to one without rising suspicion from the other. "Perhaps, it would be better if you waited until the sun was up?"

It was a fruitless effort and Sano knew that it was. It was also lame and short notice, but it looked at though Ikki at least got the idea he was trying to send. However, the boy did not look convinced either way.

"Thanks for the concern," Ikki oozed sarcasm. "But we'll be fine."

And the slight nod and narrowed eyes added on silently, _and don't you dare follow us…_

Finally, reluctantly, Iron backed off, figuring he'd pushed enough buttons for one night, but he watched them as they walked into the darkness and disappear, mumbling profanities.

A little ways into the night, Ikki kept turning his head around to make sure they were not being followed. Not only was it annoying, it was downright creepy. Along with that he tried to avoid the questions that were undoubtedly running through Kazu's mind, but the blonde had asked him anyway. Three simple little words, not asked in a forceful way, but still put a pressure on Ikki.

"What's going on?"

Ikki's luck seemed to be following him; he only wished it wasn't the bad kind. The concept of lying easy snuck into his head but he just as easily kicked it out. He couldn't, wouldn't, do it. Right now, he wondered if Kazu felt lied to anyway. Iron had blown it on only the second night, hinting towards Kazu that he was being left out of the loop on something somehow. Ikki already knew how low the blond felt about himself. Whe knew how this added onto it.

"Well," Ikki started, gritting his teeth and rolling his head back to look up at the sky, hoping that it was enough to think of something. It was a little too cloudy to see the stars that night, just a bright moon, half shadowed. Ikki forced himself to laugh. "You know how that guy is. Always dropping in when you don't need him."

"I guess that's true, but it still doesn't answer my question."

_Of course it doesn't. _Ikki thought shortly. _You hate being the last to know anything. It makes sense you would probe at this._

Ikki hummed. Guess he couldn't hold off on it, even though he already knew he wouldn't be able to from the start. He face grew faintly serious. What was the harm in telling him anyway? Sure Iron had made sure to warn him not to go around spreading the news but it was Kazu – his childhood friend. What was the worse case scenario? Kazu was good at keeping secrets.

"…He wants to fulfill some sort of 'duty' or something. I feel like… there may be trouble soon." He spared Kazu a glance, who was listening intently, hoping he wouldn't have to dive into details. For now, the answer seemed good enough, and Kazu shrugged it off, much to Ikki's relief. Really, Ikki didn't know all that much either. A lot of things seemed to be happening, and it all felt like it was coming at once in one big massive wave.

"So what are we doing," Kazu asked, easily saving the conversation with little to no effort. Then clicked his AT's on the ground. "Besides the obvious, I mean."

"Just the obvious," the crow playfully countered, easily speeding up for Kazu to give chase. He clipped the jet on the shoulder, however, causing the other boy to stumble a bit. Chances were he would not fall, too used to controlling his balance with short notice like that, but Ikki reached out regardless, catching the blond by the hand and firmly holding him upright.

They froze like that, facing each other, their hands raised up in to air and laced together and their eyes on each other.

"Watch it."

"Sorry."

"Right."

Without a second thought Ikki slid his hand away, the tips of his fingers gliding smoothly over Kazu's before falling at his side. Kazu didn't know why, but Ikki's skin was really soft. Perhaps the skin underneath the gloves were the same.

_What…?_

Shaking his head and returning to reality, Kazu sped up to catch up with Ikki, who had headed down the street without him.

He didn't know why he was thinking such things, but he was quick to shove it aside. It wasn't a big deal whether or not Ikki's palms were feathery soft. Besides, he was already sure they were, anyway.


	7. Boys and Girls

**A/N: **Gonna be honest - I'm kinda sad that I have so many views and story watchers and so little reviews. But because I love you and because I know that you guys ARE reading, I'm updating.

So like, I was reading trick 162 of the manga (raw) and I'm so scared for poor Kazu-sama. My bebe looks like he's in trouble! I also bought the second disc of AG. I'm a subber of dubber myself, but Ikki, Kazu, Emiri and Ringo's voices are great in english. Everyone else, I'm not so sure about. Agito for sure though, pisses me off. The voice just doesn't seem right at all. Sad! One thing I thought was cute about the dub vs sub.

In japanese:

"Kazu-sama!"

"What's with the sama?"

In English:

"HI SWEETIE!"

"Did you just call me sweetie?"

This is a bad chapter. I don't like it at all, but I hope it's decent, if anything.

Anyway, sorry, just felt like sharing that with all of you. 'Coz I love you!

Thank you's go out to...

**Blizzaris: **I love loyal reviewers ! Yeah, since the story was moving slow I figured a little bit of bonding would be good at the end. And I **do** like Emiri, so I have to giver her a chance to shine. Hope the update was quick enough for ya!

**E-san: **lol that happens to me sometimes, too. I whine and then BAM there it is! And don't worry, we'll get to Agito in due time :P I don't plan on abandoning this baby, and with school coming to an end and summer coming to a start, I'll prolly have more time to work on it.

**Emi Sue: **Yay, a new reader/reviewers! You are such a sweetheart, and be honest with me. If you want me to throw that into the story, just go right on ahead and say so and I'd be happy to. I know what it's like to love a pairing and want certain things to happen. Enjoy the story, yo!

* * *

--

--

**Air Gear**

_a fiction by Crimson Vixen_

**Boys and Girls**

--

--

* * *

Ikki hadn't gotten much sleep in the past couple of days. At all. And it occurred to the crow that if things kept going at the pace that they were, he probably wasn't _going_ to get a decent nights sleep for a while to come. His eyes drifted shut as he slung his bag over his shoulder and stepped out of the school, plopping himself down on the grass with a heavy sigh. Boy was he tired. 

As he rummaged through his bag, he wondered just where he was headed with all of this. Naturally, Iron's presence disturbed him on several levels, what with timing being so convenient with those murders. But he kept labeling it all up to coincidence. But he couldn't find an excuse for the doubt in his mind.

After sliding on his left AT he heard his name being called, and he turned his head to see Onigiri running towards him, a somewhat serious look on his face. The shorter boy took a moment to catch his breath before nudging the crow's arm.

"Ikki," he breathed. "Man, I need to talk to you."

"S'been a while," Ikki smiled. "It important?"

"I know, and sorta," the stout boy responded a little too seriously for Ikki's liking.

_Uh oh._

Ikki spared the school's clock tower a look, then signaled for Onigiri to join him as he walked. He half expected the stout rider to lead them both to some private place to bring the issue up, but Onigiri started as they walked, catching Ikki a little off guard.

"Well see…" Onigiri fidgeted his hands together in a way that wasn't really nervous, just hesitant. He wasn't sure how to word what was on his mind. "I saw you and Kazu the other day."

"…Yeah?"

"You guys were practicing," he said, then made another pause. "A lot. And it's just that… well… we're a team you know?"

It took a moment, but the words registered, and Ikki stopped dead in his tracks, Onigiri mimicking the action, holding his small eyes firm and waiting.

"You mean -- "

"Nothing, it's just… I can't help wondering why you'd put so much time and effort into one team mate and exclude the others."

Now, Ikki could tell immediately from Onigiri's tone of voice that he meant no damage or blame, just a rather blunt observation he felt he should bring to light. That was just the way he was when he brought up a point. He never brought it up softly, he just put it out on the table and let whatever happened, happen. And in a way, Ikki's eyes were opened a little bit wider. He'd never even thought about it that way before; focusing on one person and excluding other, equal members of the team. And unless Ikki was wrong, he thought he might have detected a bit of jealousy in Onigiri's voice. Just a hint.

But what Onigiri wasn't aware of, was that he wasn't trying to focus in on Kazu as far as training went. There was a little bit more to it than that. Though, if there was a name for it, he had yet to think of it.

"I haven't really noticed," he answered with a bit of truth, eyes cast downwards to the dirt. Once he'd said it, it sounded really lame, because now that it was pointed out, it was hard to see how he had missed it.

"So like, is there something we don't know?"

Ikki shook his head. Because he and Kazu were drifting apart. Because if felt like the jet needed a boost. Because he didn't want to keep him from succeeding in all the things he was capable of.

"I don't know. I didn't mean to. He just kinda happened to be there and we just kinda… do it." He only blushed after he finished speaking, realizing too late the different ways his words could have been interpreted. Thank God Sano wasn't around. Then he tried to cover it. "There's no hidden motive."

Any doubt or worry on Onigiri's face had been lifted considerably, but something still resided there. Ikki had just realized that by trying to mend one issue, he was spreading the original issue to others. Sure, Kazu's insecurities were being tended to, but his others friends were given the germ that had infected the very person he was trying to help. It made a person feel a little bit helpless in a world of people that needed him more than he had originally known.

But perhaps this insight would help matters.

"Look, Kazu's staying at my place for an x amount of time. The reason we probably train so much together is because he happens to be around a lot more than usual. I planned on having another group meeting real soon…"

To add effect, he patted Onigiri on the shoulder. The other boy didn't seem to want to question it further. It wasn't unusual for Kazu to stay nights at one of their places since his parents were gone - living over seas.

Suddenly, Ikki realized he didn't like what was happening. Things seemed to be slowly going downhill ever since that one night out. Now there was doubt and deception and that ever nagging feeling he couldn't bring himself to ignore. Just one after the other.

The air stood perfectly still until Ikki cleared his throat, and Onigiri laughed.

"That's the Ikki I know," he beamed.

"Alright, alright. Monday, right after school, got it?"

Onigiri's expression relaxed and his large grin plastered his face. "Yeah."

"Tell Buccha if you see him around. Where's he at, anyway? I haven't seen much of him around either," he mentioned idly, holding his hand above his eyes in a quick search/scan of the area, but the large rider was nowhere to be seen. Onigiri shrugged.

"Not sure."

Ikki kept his thoughts quiet about how Onigiri and the Tank had been spending more time together as of late, which was somewhat surprising. For a while, Onigiri and Kazu were always together, at least they were most of the time when Ikki came across them. Now that he thought about it, he wasn't sure _when_ the sudden change started happening. It looked as though he wasn't the only one Kazu was starting to separate himself from.

He hated himself just a little bit more at that moment, for not seeing that earlier, either.

"Anyway, I'll be there," the shorter boy bobbed his head up and down with a satisfied look on his face, running his stubby fingers quickly through over the top of his head. His stomach was growling, like it always did, on schedule. After school if he wasn't practicing he was with his father, indulging in some of the best ramen he had ever tasted in his short life.

Right on cue, his stomach let out a rumble and he patted it understandingly, shooting Ikki an apologetic glance before stating he had to go. He had 'important matters to deal with'. Ikki just let out a soft chuckle and mentioned how they'd see each other later.

With Onigiri gone and both sets of roller blades now in his feet, he headed for home, bag safely wrapped around his right shoulder and left hip as he went soaring through the air. So Onigiri felt left out, huh? He wouldn't be surprised if it was something both he and Buccha shared feelings about. Over the past few months those two had gotten closer and closer. That only meant, however, that there were _two_ team members that felt that way, and well, it made Ikki feel like he was being a little bit neglectful.

The more he thought about it, the more he figured that might have been true. It was true too; they hadn't really gotten together ever since that night in the ally, and anyone that knew their team would find it strange not to practice for a day. It had been a few, too.

"Oh! Ikki!"

"There he is, see?"

"Let's go ask him!"

Ikki's ears perked at the sound of giggling voices, getting louder and closer to him and when he turned his head, there was a small gaggle of them flocking his way, faces lit up and hands pointing. Once they had gotten closer, they gazed at him with longing eyes and one of them stepped up.

"Ikki, would you mind doing a few tricks? Huh?"

"Anything for a fan," the crow beamed automatically, head practically inflating to twice its normal size with the request. There were several girls here at the school that were fascinated by riders, almost obsessed with them. They squealed and tittered when they got to see one up close. Sort of like an AT fan club of people who didn't ride, just admired. "But just one. I'm in somewhat of a hurry."

The girl's face blossomed with pink hues when Ikki stood tall and let his bag drop at his side. He cracked his fingers and took a stance, bolting forward only after he was sure they were all looking at him. The feeling was near indescribable, to be so worshiped by people you barely knew who thought that what you did was so amazing. For them to be so impressed by the things you can do with it. And those easy, tiny little tricks that you've picked up over time seem like the impossible to those onlookers. It gave him a feeling of power and pride, to be loved for something he loved in return. He only wished all people were this passionate about Air Treck. In his eyes, the world would be a better place.

He was up in the air, spinning, turning, throwing out his arms and trying his best to put on a show for his fans. Going backwards in mid-air always sent his stomach into tiny flips, but it was a feeling he enjoyed. That feeling only grew after he made a perfect landing, skidding to a just as perfect stop in front of the girls, who burst into sniggers and applause.

"Ikki you're so amazing!"

"You're the best rider I've ever seen."

"Soooo cute!"

"I wish I could do that!"

"Ikki, oh Ikki! How do you do that?"

Not entirely able to narrow in on just one person and thus, at a loss for what each individual person was saying, Ikki kindly shrugged at all of them in a knowing manner. They seemed to buy it, at least, almost swooning at his gesture. As they continued to stand there and gawk and worship the ground he walked on, Ikki's eye caught something familiar, and he had to go to his tip toes to see over the heads of the girls.

"Kazu!" He greeted his friend happily. However, Kazu looked to be a mix of happy and something else Ikki couldn't quite place at the moment. The blonde stood with his arms crossed and his weight set to one foot as he half scowled. He wasn't wearing any hat today, and even though Ikki wasn't used to that, he thought Kazu looked good like that. He wasn't so sure about the look in his eyes though.

The girls, who had by now realized that they were no longer the center of Babyface's attention, frowned and whined and loudly as they made their loud exit.

"Looks like you're just as popular as ever," Kazu said idly, raising his brows and sliding his irises to the side to watch the girls leave. There was a slight sense of malice in those eyes, but it could have just been a trick of the light. "There are tons of riders around here, but you're the one they seem to gravitate towards. There must be something about you."

"Naw, I dunno," Ikki shrugged nonchalantly. "Might be 'coz I'm so close to them. We go to the same school so I'm the one they know most about. It's easier to get closer to me."

He stopped when a thought struck him, and he was certain that the same exact thought was running across Kazu's mind as well.

_But you are not the only rider that goes to this school._

Of course he didn't mean it that way, and Kazu didn't seem to take offense to it either, understanding the way Ikki's mind worked.

"I was wondering if you wanted to head home with me. Er.. I mean you're house."

Ikki laughed a little, "Yeah, alright."

The crow bent over to pick up his previously abandoned school bag and swung it back over his shoulder and trotted over to where Kazu was standing, rolling his sleeves up on this decently warm day. The two started rolling at a steady, even pace. Kazu intentionally swerved back and forth and Ikki skated backwards casually.

"Any particular reason why?"

"Aaa… You said that no one would be home today after school, right?"

"Right. No one except for Iron… oh."

Kazu looked at him and offered a very apologetic smile, nervous and embarrassed all at once, and Ikki could only bring himself to chuckle. The logic was so obvious now.

"I wouldn't be surprised if… I mean there's always a chance he might not be there. For all we know he could be spying on us again."

They both laughed at that, though it sounded a little forced from each of them. Then, just to make sure, Ikki took a quick look around to make sure that wasn't the case. He didn't see the pervert anywhere but it wouldn't hurt to keep on his toes. Kazu seemed to be aware of this and only sighed in what sounded like defeat.

"Oh! We're having another practice on Monday, just so you know. After school, same place as usual."

"…I guess it's been a while."

"So I've heard," Ikki mumbled. He'd lost track of things, apparently. He'd been so busy trying to forget certain things that he forgot the things he didn't want to forget. Suddenly, home sounded really great right now.

But just like always, something popped up that interrupted everything.

"Kazu!!!" a high and extremely chipper voice called out and both boys turned around. Emiri was waving her hand in the air to capture their attention and was coming closer but… at a very slow pace.

Once she had gotten close enough to them, she squealed as she stumbled forward, straight into Kazu's surprised arms.

"Whoa, what's with you?" he asked as he gently pulled her back upright by her shoulders. He was giving her a rather comical look, brows knitted in amusement.

"O-oh, I'm so sorry, Kazu," she stuttered with a ferocious blush, averting her eyes to the side, hands clutched to her chest. Her knees wobbled and banged together.

"Hey," Ikki cut in, pointing to the girl's feet. "AT's."

Emiri's blush only intensified, spreading like ink in water. One of her hands shot up to her face, a delicate finger finding its way to her mouth and as tried to answer.

"Yeah… I uhm… I'm trying to teach myself," she said, upset with herself that this wasn't going as smooth as she wanted it to. For one, she wasn't supposed to make such a fool of herself. For two, Ikki wasn't supposed to be around. But she had already told herself she was doing this today, regardless of circumstances. And besides all of that, she was already here. It would make her look stupid if she walked away now.

"Really? That's really cool, Emiri," Kazu smiled. "What made you wanna do that?"

"Oh! Well, uhm…" She struggled. He wasn't supposed to ask that. She was supposed to bring it up on her own in a cute, romantic kind of way. Now she had no choice but to improvise. "You."

Both boys gave her looks, as though they had misheard her.

"Me?"

"You, Kazu…"

At that exact moment, Ikki felt out of place. He didn't belong here, but he stood his ground anyway. Emiri was trying to flatter Kazu, which in the long run was a good thing but…

But _he _was the one that was going to do that. _He _wanted to be the one that made Kazu's face light up like that, to make him feel good about himself the way he should.

Why was he so upset about it? Shouldn't he be happy that at least someone was making Kazu feel such things, even if it wasn't him? Still, how could little track runner Emiri be able to make it look so easy?

Well, Ikki tried to explain to himself, she's a girl. That automatically makes it easier for her to express the things that if a guy expressed, would ruin any reputation that they had. He couldn't go around blurting that Kazu was the reason he did certain things, felt certain things… Because he didn't, and even if he did, it was something he would never tell to his face.

That last thought made his shoulders slump. But, isn't that what this was all about? Making the blonde understand what he was? So why was he trying to convince himself it was harder than Emiri was making it seem? How could she do something he'd been trying to do for the past week, in just one minute?

Ikki laughed quietly to himself. Look at him, arguing with himself, making excuses. He was Kazu's best friend. He wouldn't let himself be beaten by a girl, even if it was Emiri. Cute, beautiful, shy and loud Emiri of the track team.

Tch. It's not like it was a big deal, anyway. Ikki shoved his hands into his pockets almost irritably, ears picking up on the conversation he'd unknowingly drifted out of.

"…I know, I know," the girl laughed, looking a little more comfortable. "It took me a while to get the hang of them, but I'm still not that good. I mean I can walk alright in them with lock or unlocked wheels, but I'm a little afraid to go fast in them."

Somewhere in her rambling, Ikki could have sworn he'd seen Kazu blush and smile at the same time. It wasn't something he saw often, and he briefly wished that the blonde would do it more often. Then he mentally slapped himself for thinking something so stupid. He watched as Kazu reached out to steady Emiri as he started to wobble again. Their arms reached out and interlocked, hands clutching each other's elbows.

"Why don't you let me show you the basics some time?" Kazu offered.

At first, Emiri looked as if she would faint right then and there for some reason, and then she swallowed hard and let her smile reach past her eyes.

"Yes! Yes of course, Kazu!"

Tch. Did she have to say Kazu's name all the time? Ikki tried to occupy himself by picking at his ear with his pinky.

"Still, you look like you need to work on you balance a little more before you start to run."

"Nn!" the girl nodded excitedly, hands gripping at the boy's elbows harder, even though she had already gathered her footing. "I would love it if Kazu would teach me! With you as my teacher, I'll be amazing!"

See!? Things like that. So small and simple but so effective. Ikki couldn't get over the way Kazu was glowing, much unlike he was just a few minutes ago. Before Emiri showed up, he looked dull, bothered, just sort of there. And now?

Now, after Emiri's last comment, Kazu was at a loss for words. A simple thank you fell from his lips. Then…

"What about right now, Kazu!? Is right now good?" She would be bouncing up and down if she wasn't on wheels. Ikki joined Emiri in looking at Kazu for a reaction, which was quick.

"Of course now is good," he said softly and kindly. "I guess I'll meet you at the house later, Ikki."

"Yeah, sure," the crow said calmly, waving them off as the two went the other direction, though they never turned around to see it. Ikki wasn't sure why he felt the way he felt. He forced himself to walk away and head home before he could dive into it any further. There was nothing to dive into.

--

"Oh Kazu, I'm so happy that you're teaching me!" the track runner exclaimed. Oh this was just as she planned! Kazu teaching _her_ how to ride AT, holding her hand when she fell, cupping her shoulders when trying to steer. _Her _hands on _his _hips when he was leading her and showing her not to be afraid of speed. Or of falling. Of course, she didn't really mind falling, since Kazu was the one who had to pick her up again. At least, that was the way she was seeing it in her head.

"Ok, let me see what you can do first," he said, stopping at an empty basketball court and putting his hands on his small hips.

"Eh!?" she breathed, blinking owlishly at him.

"Just once around the court is all," the boy explained. "I want to see what we have to work with."

"U-un!" she nodded once, biting her lower lip as she got to a secure position and took a single step forward. Just like she practiced, just like she practiced. The wheels touched the ground and she shifted her weight, hearing the motor hum and go, taking her with it. She was gliding forward, legs stiff but trying to move. She started to turn, a massive, wide turn, but it wasn't enough and she ended up in the grass, falling forward once again. But a gust of wind rushed over her and in an instant, Kazu's arms were looped under hers.

_That's right, _Emiri smiled softly to herself. _He's fast enough to catch me when I fall. Even if he isn't next to me when it happens."_

How romantic.

Kazu heaved her to her feet and helped her to the concrete.

"Looks like you have the idea, but you're too afraid to turn sharply. You feel like you'll fall, am I right?"

Embarrassed, Emiri nodded. How did he understand it so well?

"Well think of it this way. When practicing, the worst thing that can happen is you fall. Big deal," he shrugged. "Just get up and try again. I know that sounds corny but that's just the way it is."

"Right."

"So, try again, once around the court. Don't be afraid to turn. I'll be watching so you don't have to worry about hitting the ground."

Emiri could have sworn her heart was trying to burst in her chest. It was hammering against her ribcage and pounding in her head. Kazu had no idea just how indirectly romantic he was sounding to her right now, but how could he? He could never understand the way a girl's mind worked in these situations. And she was thankful for that.

Again she took a step forward and prepared herself for when the motor took the lead and set her into motion. She heard Kazu reminding her to be aware of where she was putting her weight in her feet, and she was, eyes focused on the turn she was about to make. She lifted a foot and rotated it slightly before setting it back on the ground, lifting the other foot as she did so. She was turning! Shaky and still wide, and not too graceful but she was doing it! And Kazu was watching her! She lifted her head to see if Kazu looked proud of her but lost her balance as soon as she did so.

A flash of blonde and light blue and she was in his arms again. She closed her eyes for a second to appreciate how warm he was. Her ear was pressed to his chest, and she could hear his steady heartbeat. With a sigh she forced herself to stand up again before the boy grew suspicious of her lingering.

"That was better," he told her. "You took your attention off of what you were doing. You wanna watch where you're going. After you get better you can start to pay attention to other things."

"Kay. Sorry."

"Don't be sorry, I'm just trying to help you out."

"I know," she batted her lashed. "You know so much about AT, Kazu!"

The boy chuckled a little, but it wasn't a very happy one. "Not as much as Ikki."

Emiri's bright face faltered.

"You really look up to him, huh?"

"Huh?" Kazu's face jerked out of whatever phase it was going into, and he scratched at his head. "Well…"

"Oh!" Emiri shouted suddenly after seeing Kazu's golden locks. "That reminds me!"

Her stomach jumped and flipped as she dug into the front pocket of her windbreaker, pulling out something white and soft and beaming greatly when she held it out for Kazu to see. His blue eyes widened and he immediately reached out and grabbed it, pulling it to his body and giving Emiri a wide eyed look, lips twitching into a wide smile.

"Holy crap, where did you find this? I thought I'd lost it forever!"

"I know how much that hat means to you," Emiri explained, nervously digging one of her feet into the dirt, hands twiddling behind her back. "I'm sorry it took me so long to get it back to you but… Uh !?"

Before she knew it, Kazu's arms were wrapped around her and her cheek was pressed against the nook of Kazu's neck. He was hugging her, his arms were around her body, his scent rushing over her, and she was frozen at first. But in time she was able to raise her arms, slowly and unsure, and she was about to wrap them around Kazu's small frame just as he pulled back and examined his hat.

"Thank you so much…" he said, checking the material for any damage before placing it back on his head. He let out a large, satisfied sigh, feeling a little more like himself already. "I don't know how to thank you, Em."

The girl gasped. Em? Did he just call her Em? Like a pet name? No, no, a nick name. Her heart fluttered and her mouth went dry. However, even with her tongue feeling like sand, she tried to speak.

"You don't… you don't have to, Kazu. Besides, teaching me h-how to ride AT is more than enough."

"Are you sure?" he pressed, making a guilty expression. Emiri didn't want him to feel guilty at all, not over her, so she immediately held out her hands and shook her head.

"No no, don't worry about it, please. It's yours, I was just returning it. We're friends, after all."

That felt good to say.

"Yeah."

That felt great to hear.

Every word that Kazu said melted her just a little bit further. She wasn't too sure what this fascination was over this boy, but it grew with every moment she spent with him. Ever since he and Onigiri had gone to the school at night just to reclaim it and protect it, her heart had drifted to him on its own. Who was she to tell her heart no? While others dubbed it stupidity, Emiri had easily called it bravery.

Now, all she had to do was tell Kazu her feelings. Which… as Yayoi had put it, was way easier said than done. It was on the tip of her tongue, it was in her head, and she had practiced a few times with herself, but nothing was ever enough to prepare her for this moment. They were alone, and she'd already come so far, but something was stopping her.

She could sense it. Although for her this was a dream come true, a moment so pure and perfect and wonderful like she had always seen it in her head, she knew that if she said it right here, right now, there was a chance she could ruin it all. This flawless day could be shattered. And Kazu could be so oblivious. What she saw as a moment between the two of them with a possible spark was what _he_ saw as hanging out and showing her the ropes and nothing else.

Ugh, boys are cute, but they sure are morons.

So she kept her mouth shut. She had made enough progress for one night, and didn't feel like risking all that hard work. She felt Kazu brush his hand against hers.

"Come on, let's try again."

--

Ikki didn't bother turning the doorknob like a normal human being. Instead he kicked it open, and dropped his bag as soon as he walked through the door. He kicked off his AT's and marched into the kitchen, feeling a case of the munchies overcome him.

Once there, he was reminded of his luck and how it had been managing to follow him around lately, because there, head tucked somewhere in the open fridge, was Sano, the damn Iron Clock. He could hear him rummaging around for something and was about to just screw it all and leave when Iron spoke.

"Say, you don't happen to have any jelly, do you?"

Ikki crinkled his nose.

"What? Why?"

"Never mind, I found it," he answered, pulled back and shutting the fridge door. He held up the jelly jar for Ikki to see. "Why do you think I want it?"

_With you, one can never tell,_ Ikki smirked, shrugging.

He watched with little interest as Iron started to dig through all of the cabinets.

"You're home a little early today," he tried to make conversation. Ikki heaved and slumped against the wall with his arms crossed.

"I rushed home," the crow answered tersely. "That's all."

"That's all?"

What was with this guy always have to press for things that weren't there?

"That's all."

"Really, now… Your face looks a little flushed. But it's not the kind from rushing yourself."

Ikki practically spat when he laughed, short and sweet.

"Is it a girl?"

"…No."

"So it's a boy."

"That's sick. You're sick."

"Oh?" Iron mock pouted as he reached for the peanut butter and set it on the table next to the jelly. Then he went scrounging around the kitchen some more. "I didn't think you were so narrow-minded."

Great, not even five minutes through the door and this guy was starting with him.

"I'm not, I'm just saying you're sick."

"Mmm," Iron hummed idly, grabbing a bag of bread and pulling it out. He reached into a drawer and dug out a knife to cut it. "How's that?"

"You're a perverted old man."

"I'm not old. I'm just older than you."

"But you're still perverted."

"I'm not perverted. I'm just open about what I want."

"Naw," Ikki growled. "Definitely perverted. And what's worse, you don't even like the opposite sex."

Iron tsked, opening the jar of peanut butter and dipping the knife in.

"Aren't you going to do the jelly first?"

"No. Makes the bread all soggy."

"Oh…"

"And I don't see anything wrong with my preferences."

"It's weird." At first, Ikki wanted to say that it was wrong, but then he rethought it. Not only would he be giving Iron another reason to continue calling him narrow-minded, but he really _didn't _see it as wrong. Just… weird.

"Why, because it takes up the minority?"

"Hmm?"

Iron re-dipped the knife into the jar, scooping out double the peanut butter this time, spreading it on the other piece of bread.

"'People like me', as I'll kindly put it, are harder to come across, but it's most definitely out there. People like to ignore the things they don't like. The things they aren't used to. So it's easy to hate the minority, especially when you are not a part of it. Make sense?"

"Whoa wait, I never said I hated anybody. I just thought it was strange that you would find…" ok, it just felt too odd to say out loud.

"…That I find the same sex attractive?"

Ikki just looked at him. How did he get into this conversation again?

"Ehhh…"

"They are not as fragile. They may not be as curvy but they are more defined. Fun to explore." He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose with a long finger as he spoke, calm as if he was talking about the weather. Ikki was trying to tuck his head into the collar of his jacket, feeling his face run hot as Iron spoke. "And with experience, you come to learn that they are just more interesting when it comes to that sort of thing."

That sort of thing. Ikki scoffed, not really interested in thinking further on that, even if his mind tried to explore the possibilities.

"And in return," Iron went on, finally placing his sandwich together and examining it. "They do not handle _you_ as if _you _will break. They are more eager, more experimental. Women aim to seduce, while men are just honest. And in my opinion, more beautiful."

"Pervert," the crow spat bitterly.

Iron sighed heavily, used to hearing that name by now, and he took a bite of his peanut butter and jelly sandwich. "Yes. Yes, I suppose so. And you know, it's not as horrible as you may think."

"Oh yeah?" Ikki drawled sarcastically, unconvinced.

"As I have mentioned before, it's not that uncommon. You know, a while back, this sort of thing was considered normal and it was greatly accepted. People have just grown more shallow as time went on."

Ikki said nothing, just listened and found that he had nothing to really counter that point. He was right, and what was more, there was nothing wrong with that.

"Actually, I'm surprised at your orientation."

"..Huh?"

"Granted, you are surrounded by many female characters but at the same time, you are around just as many of the same sex."

"What are you saying, Iron. I'm not that way."

"I know, I'm just saying it's somewhat of a shock. You're friends are quite an eyeful. If I remember correctly, one of them even has it out for you." Iron tried not to laugh as he took another bite but he couldn't. A small chuckle rang out through the kitchen and Ikki glowered irritably. Akito was clingy and would admit he loved Ikki, and even though he had accepted the small boy for it, he didn't return that same affection. That didn't mean Iron could poke fun at it.

"Shut up, just shut up," he growled, now at the table with his palms slammed onto the surface. He gave Iron an angry glare but it didn't do much with Iron eating his snack with calmly closed eyes. "It's not like that between us and you know it."

"Alright then," the taller shrugged easily. "What about that other one? The thin one."

"There's nothing there either."

"No? I think he's rather adorable."

"What? Knock it off!"

"No need to get so defensive. I was just curious," the brown haired boy said with a mouthful. Ikki gritted his teeth and pulled back to leave the room, but stopped when Iron dropped one more line. "Quite a catch, if I do say so myself."

And Ikki paused. To be honest, it was hard to tell who the Iron Clock was referring to. It could have been either Akito or Kazu, or the crow himself, or someone totally different that wasn't even brought up at the table, but it got on Ikki's nerves anyway, and he turned around and re-approached the table. He propped one hand on it and leaned his weight into that supporting arm, other hand on his hip.

"You enjoy getting on my nerves."

"It's not intentional," came the reply. "Really, I just speak my mind. You are the one that always seems to have a problem with that." He gave a mock hurt look and Ikki shoved him hard on the shoulder.

"Because the way you think is perverted and stupid."

Iron wiped his mouth with a napkin he had set at the ready to his left and started screwing the lids of the peanut butter and jelly jars back on.

"The way I think is stupid, is it? And what about yourself, hmm? You decide ignore what has been happening around you as if it were some coincidence when, as a storm rider yourself, you should be the most cautious of all."

Ikki thinned his lips. Why was Sano, the Iron Clock, so damn good at making these kinds of points? He was right, Ikki was a storm rider, and the victims of whatever had been going on recently were all just that. And with Ikki being one of the greatest, and being the one so quick to rise towards the top, he wasn't safe. They both knew that, and that was why Iron was here in the first place.

"Oh by the way," the pervert added casually, putting both jars back into their respectful places and quickly washing the knife off at the sink. "I wanted to talk to you about my living accommodations."

"What about them? I didn't invite you into my house, you should be able to figure out something on your own."

"Hn." He uttered and makes his way to the living room, where he flicked on the television and slumped onto the couch. After a few channel changes, he stopped at a black and white movie, where a man and a woman are kissing lovingly.

"I enjoy the classics," he says. "There's nothing like them."

"Whatever," Ikki mumbled, still in the kitchen.


	8. Human Contact

**A/N: **Sorry, I think this chapter is a little shorter than the others. I'm so happy about the reviews I've gotten! You guys are so awesome, thank you! And kudos to the people who have been taking the time to read my notes. I... I love you!

I was gonna hold off a little on the interactions between Ikki and Kazu but you guys are just so cool to me and you all have been really supportive of a story with such a struggling pairing in this world... so I stuck in a cute little bit between the two of them, though nothing big. In fact you might have to squint... I hope you enjoy it, regardless.

Also, I like to stick with the characterization of Iron Clock based on the anime and other fictions. And in other fictions, he's considered a college student/late teens, early 20's. I'm really not sure. Does anyone know how old Sano is? Just so you know, I stuck with the 'college student' age in this chapter.

And again I'm really afraid that you might find Sano slightly OOC. Don't worry though, I'll be getting to that eventually! Promise!

The title is to be taken figurativly and literally, fyi.

**ALSO! **Let's play a little guessing game. What do you think is going to happen in the future of Folly and Sin? What kind of love complications will take place? What's got Kazu acting so strange? What does Ikki plan to do with murderers on the loose? I wanna know what you think!

Also, don't forget, I'm always open for suggestions! I would LOVE to hear what you have to say. I'll do what I can for you as long as it doesn't mess up the plot I have in store.

Thank you:

**Emi Sue: **Of COURSE he's adorable. I wouldn't put that in the story if it wasn't true! And I must say, I DO feel a tiny bit guilty with Emiri's crush on Kazu. Lord knows I think the pairing is cute and I love Emiri with all of my heart, so I just HAD to give her a moment with the kid. But the readers and I both know she's just setting herself up for dissapointment city. She really is squeeable, though, isn't she? Don't worry, I'm gonna do what I have to do to give her some sense of closure.

**Blizzaris: **Mawww, your long reviews make my heart soar. SOAR! I love how much you observe and look into my stories. It flatters me so! I'm also glad you pointed out Sano's slight OOC during his conversation with Ikki. I actually planned to touch on that in the next chapter or so (depending on how the story pans out and how long it takes me to reach that point). And I liked the idea of Sano making something as trivial as a sandwich because the image was just too funny to me to not use it.

**E-san: **You are too cute. You would just LOVE to see Kazu squirm when it comes to Sano, wouldn't you? I can sense it. Well if it makes you feel any better, this chapter may just be what you're looking for! ;) Iron's such a lovable pervert.

**Harushi Karasunaki: **Thank you! Stay tuned – it can only get better from here! Or worse...

**Ryouko: **What's that, you say? The world needs more Ikkazu? AMEN TO THAT! What else? You want to start writing Ikkazu now? By all means, dear, I would love to read something from you. I hope to hear from you soon.

**darissa: **Why thank you! And thank you for taking the time to review! I'm glad you liked the conversation between Sano and Ikki, as well, because I was really afraid of screwing it up.

Now, onto the fic!

* * *

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**Air Gear**

_a fiction by Crimson Vixen (I love how that sounds XP)_

**Human Contact**

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Hopefully Ikki had gotten the idea last night. That was Sano's intention anyway; to indirectly make the boy realize that he had to be more careful. Think things through more. To stop putting everyone around him in danger until he figured it all out. Something was going on around here, and Ikki was doing an amazing job at playing the denial game. He'd never seen such an accurate display of ignoring important matters. But maybe now, after their little 'talk', he would keep a better eye out. 

Well, during the daytime, anyway. At night, that was his job. It was why he was here. To look over the ungrateful rider and his crazy excuse of a family and make sure nothing happened to the boy that was supposedly the next Sky King. Funny, how such an arrogant, cocky brat who hadn't even been riding for half the time that he had would hold such a place in the AT world. Who knew someone like him would be given the responsibility...

Then again, maybe it truly was… meant to be.

Sano shook his head and repositioned his glasses. He was in no place to judge people by the way they looked. He had learned that lesson a while back and it wasn't one he planned on forgetting any time soon.

He rubbed absentmindedly at his nose, taking in a deep breath of the fresh night air. The wind was calm tonight, making things seem quiet. Too quiet for anyone to try to pull anything, he tried to reason with himself. Everyone was in the house, sleeping, and he was out here, on the rooftop, watching the stars shine and the moon glow in a clear sky. It was beautiful, simply beautiful. Funny, how he never looked at the sky with any admiration until he'd met _him_. Heh, that boy certainly was a lot more than he came across to be.

He leaned back and spread himself flat against the roof tiles and admired those stars and their stunning nature. No rider, no matter how high he or she could ride, would be able to reach something so unreachable. But it sure was nice to dream. Tch, even that sounded like something _he_ would say.

However, no matter how amazing the sky seemed to be tonight, it just wasn't enough to capture the Iron Clock's attention long enough. In spite of his newly found liking of it, he grew easily bored with it as well – after all, they didn't do anything. They just sat there – and he pulled himself into a sitting position and drummed his fingers along his knee.

"Hmm…" he hummed, bored. Then he shimmied quietly down the roof and snuck his way into the nearest window. Thankfully the floor was not a creaky one so he was able to make his way around the second floor hallway without much noise.

He poked his head into Ikki's room only to find the boy sleeping, arm flung over the side of the bed and blankets twisted and mangled and anything but neat or orderly. His mouth hung open and let out mild snoring, soft mumbles creeping out every so often. He apparently moved around a lot in his sleep. Whatever, at least he was staying put for once.

He moved to the next room, which he assumed was Akito's. How long had it been since the boy had made this place his home? He took a glance inside and sure enough, there was the small boy, wrapped like a cocoon in his blankets, not really snoring but not really quiet. A quiet breather, sleeping with a smile, who softly hummed his outward breath.

Next room was one of the girls'. Ringo of Sleeping Forest. The girl was also a semi-calm sleeper, only moving her head or arms every so often, with light hints of barely audible sleep talking.

With a deep breath, Sano shut the door and made his way downstairs. Everyone was fine.

Maybe a late night snack would be good. He was so damn bored walking around in a house where no one was awake and he had nothing to do. He had tried playing some of that Mikan girl's video games but most of them needed two people to be any fun. That and he had to keep the volume down so that took away a bit of the fun. He could watch television but for some reason he had a hard time finding anything worth watching.

And besides all that, video games and watching television were hard to do ever since another body started taking up the couch. So he usually went to eating food to take up his time. Not that peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were always an appetizing thought. Like tonight for instance, they just didn't sound all that great since he already had one earlier today. That's just how it went, you know. Had to be in the mood.

He wandered over to the couch and peered over the cushions to look at the sleeping blonde boy. Kazu looked as angry in his sleep as he did during the day, his body relaxed yet defensive even in his slumber. Sano leaned in closer for a better look, and Kazu must have unconsciously sensed him or something because the thin boy groaned and threw the covers over his head.

Heh. Just adorable.

Sano hummed and placed a hand on the boy's concealed head, stroking it with his thumb. He really was an attractive person. In fact…

Gently as he could, he grabbed the edge of the blanket with tender fingers, easing it down to uncover the boy's face, then his neck, then his shoulders. He stood there for a moment, watching the blanket rise and fall to his breathing, how his dark lashes twitched in his slumber.

He just couldn't help himself. He reach forward, letting the pads of his fingers graze the blonde's slender neck, tracing it upwards to the jaw line and over the jut of his chin. Kazu made a sound but didn't stir. The Iron Clock continued to roam up to the soft hat – he wore it in his sleep? – teasing it off so he could play with those light golden locks of soft hair. He leaned in closer still, close enough for Kazu to feel the other boys breath on his face, even in slumber. He made a discontent noise and shifted on the couch, rolling fully onto his back and craning his neck to Sano's touch.

"Mmnn… I…Ik…" he mumbled softly, slurred and jumbled behind his heavy lips. Sano didn't stop. He put both hands to work, cupping the sleeping boy's cheeks and tenderly rubbing his thumbs underneath those closed eyes. Smooth skin, flawless complexion. Yeah, attractive indeed. Though even sleeping, it seemed like Kazu was half aware of the contact. His brows lowered angrily and determinedly, reminding Sano of when they had their first battle. He was pretty back then, too.

Before he knew what he was doing, and quick to blame it on being bored and Kazu being there and so temptingly vulnerable at the time, Sano was on the couch with the younger boy, straddling him, though very lightly, and leaning in close. He took a small whiff of the blonde's hair and then ran his fingers through it. It must have been a little too much though, for the boy began to move around a little more than expected. Perhaps he had misjudged his sensativity. The jet gritted his teeth once and then relaxed again, mouth now very slightly agape.

Sano smirked, unable to help himself. An open invitation, it was.

With little to no thought, he traced Kazu's lower lip slowly, finding it to be soft and plump and irresistible _because_ of those factors. He brought his face in, practically hovering an inch away from the other speed rider's.

That's when Kazu's eyes blinked open, and when they saw Sano, the Iron Clock and well rounded homo pervert, they sprang wide. He gasped but Sano put a lithe finger to his lips before he could even yelp.

"People are sleeping," he whispered with a teasing smile. Oh, this boy was just too much fun to watch.

Kazu's face grow hot with rage, sweat already dripping down his temple and eyes jittering in anger, and he gave a giant shove to the larger body to get their hips apart and everything else that shouldn't have been touching in the first place, and Sano fell promptly onto the floor.

Mindful of the house full of sleepers, Kazu sprang to his feet behind the couch with an accusing finger pointed at his offender, and he let out a harsh whisper.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" He was nearly frothing at the mouth, heart running a million miles a second in his chest from the shock. One of the last things he wanted was for his friend and the people he lived with to wake up and find him pelvis to pelvis with a college student with an unhealthy urge to touch things he shouldn't. "I knew you were messed up but I didn't think you'd actually do something so… so…"

He put a hand over his face and breathed heavily into it to calm himself down. Who knew what that bastard did to him before he woke up? He was probably lucky he opened his eyes when he did. Everyone knew the guy had a thing for little boys, or ok maybe just boys in general, and that he didn't really have a high level of self control, but still…

"Is that what you do in your spare time? Molest people when they're not expecting it?" the blonde crossed his arms defensively, taking a single step back. For all he knew Sano was undressing him with his eyes.

"Not usually," Sano said calmly, bringing himself to his feet. Somehow he had forgotten how much shorter the boy was than him. It was somewhat cute, being stood up to by him. In fact, Sano smiled and tried to conceal it by pushing up his glasses and hiding it behind his hand. "But there's nothing to do. And you are just too delectable."

"Would you shut up?" Kazu retorted, a little loudly, a lotta snarl. He hushed himself and tried again. "I don't like it when you talk like that. It's creepy." Couldn't he find someone else to probe at?

He tried to stifle a small laugh. A laugh.

"…Are you poking fun at me?" the blonde blinked, offended. "You make it hard to have a normal conversation when you act like that. You make it hard to be in the same room, now that I think about it. …Actually, how can you feel so comfortable being like that?"

This again?

"Like what? All I'm doing is being myself."

"Not comforting."

The two just stared at each other for a moment, until Sano started picking up the fallen pillow and blanket and walked them over to Kazu, who took another step back, hands held out to snatch the materials quickly before Sano could get any closer. Did the guy actually expect him to go back to sleep? He offered the brunette a growl and a nasty glare before turning sharply and heading for the stairs. Before he went up he turned his head.

"You're so lucky I'm tired," he grumbled in his defense, straightening out his loose shirt and pajama bottoms before climbing the steps.

Sano watched him until he turned the corner and was out of sight. Younger boys didn't understand that it was ok to be so open about what they wanted. That it's not a bad thing to crave things that the rest of the world will scoff at. That you can do or want something that feels _right_ when it's supposedly _wrong_. Maybe one day... one day they would understand. It wasn's so strange, was it? To see something you want and go for it?

Hah, so cute. Ikki could really be blind at times.

He smiled a little and plopped down on the couch and reached for the remote. Maybe there would be something on television tonight.

--

--

Kazu crept up the stairs and through the hall. He stopped right in front of Ikki's bedroom door and held his hand up to knock but held it there. Man did he feel awful for doing this. And embarrassed. But… For some reason, it was the safest place he could think to be at the moment.

He rapped three times, and then slowly pushed the door open enough to poke his head in.

"Ikki?" he asked softly, not wanting to scare the other boy if he was still sleeping. "Ikki."

There was rustling and then a pause. Then…

"Nnn…"

"It's me," Kazu said stupidly, shoulders going tense. "Uhm… I was wondering…"

Ikki cleared his throat, a little more aware of his surroundings, and Kazu heard him shift in his bed to face him. "Kazu."

"Yeah, listen. Can I… please sleep on the floor?" the boy bit his bottom lip, hating how pathetic he sounded right now.

"Hmm…" came the groggy response. "Go for it. Why?"

Kazu stiffened a little more as he let his pillow drop to the floor. He didn't really want to tell the crow that he had just been molested in his sleep, so he went for the next best thing closest to the truth.

"Damn Iron wouldn't let me sleep."

And in Ikki's sleepy state, it was all the explanation he needed. He waved his hand heavily in the air and made a short humming sound that Kazu interpreted as approval and he plopped himself onto the floor with a sigh. Now he could get some rest without having to worry about that guy. There was no way he would do something like that again with someone else in the room.

Kazu pulled the sheets up to his chin, only just realizing that his hat was missing again. He silently cursed to himself, angry that he'd have to wait until the next morning to get it back, and then he let his eyes drift shut.

--

--

The first thing Ikki noticed when he woke up the next morning was that it was afternoon and he had slept in. The sun lit up his room, which was annoying since he was just getting up, and the only reason he rolled out of bed that morning was because his stomach was howling at him. He wiped at his eyes and when he pulled his hands away, he saw the lump on his floor.

Oh yeah, that's right. Ikki remembered faintly Kazu coming in last night and requesting to spend the night on his floor, because Iron was being annoying or something like that. He recognized the messy tuft of fair locks sticking out from underneath the lump of sheets and stepped over him easily, but paused before he reached his door. Kazu's feet were sticking out from the blankets and well, it was one of Ikki's little quirks. It bothered him.

So he pinched the blanket between his fingers and tugged it down just enough to cover Kazu's cold looking feet. Now he could see his friend's face, tucked neatly into the crook of his elbow and still sleeping soundly. He stepped out then, shutting the door quietly behind him to let the other boy sleep. From the smell of things, someone was already making food.

As he made his way down the stairs, he made out the smell to be ramen, so it was only natural that it was Mikan that was making it. But that also meant she was only cooking for herself, so Ikki was going to have to fend for himself again, it seemed.

Before he could even take one step into the kitchen, however, tiny arms with extra long sleeves wrapped around his waist from behind.

"Good morning, Ikki!" chirped Akito, nuzzling his face into Ikki's side with overflowing affection. "You slept in today! I hope you're feeling alright!"

"M'fine," the crow muttered groggily, trying nicely to pry Akito's limbs off from him. "I guess I was just really tired last night."

"I'm glad!" Akito bubbled, like it was the greatest news in the world. "Oh Ikki! I saw Kazu go into your room last night!"

Ikki froze. Talk about blunt. Was there anything Akito _didn't _catch? His eyes immediately jumping to Mikan, who was at the stove, already smirking about Akito latching onto the crow. Now her grin grew wider, enjoying Akito's implications and awaiting Ikki's explanation.

"Err.."

"I'm jealous, Ikki," the tiny rider pouted, arms still circled around him and face still buried in the crow's shirt. "You never like it when I come into your room at night, or even when I climb into bed with you."

At this point, Ikki could see Mikan's shoulders shaking from suppressed laughter.

"But Kazu walks into your room last night and he never came back out. I'm so jealous!"

"Whatever you're thinking, you're wrong!" Ikki growled, finally breaking free from Akito's grip. "Freakin' Iron was being an idiot last night and kept him from sleeping, so he went where it was quiet! That's all! He didn't come near my bed, either!"

Mikan's giggling settled a little but didn't fully stop. She continued to stand at the stove and watch her noodles cook.

"Geez, Ikki. Can't you see you're upsetting your boyfriend?" she mused, unable to resist.

"He's not my anything!" Ikki whined, too tired to deal with this kind of torment already. He made a face while Akito tittered at the comment and gave him another hug.

"Ikki, are you alright?" came a new voice. Ikki turned to see Ringo enter the room from outside, sliding her hat off of her head and adjusting her glasses. Good, at least someone in the room wasn't trying to make his life hard. "You look flustered."

Mikan laughed again as she poured her ramen into a bowl and walked away while Ikki grew redder and Akito bounced around him, humming.

"…Nothing," he blurted, heading for the front door.

"Where are you going? And in your pajamas?" the girl pondered aloud, but Ikki didn't answer her. She grew worried at Ikki's seemingly cold behavior and put her hat back on. Akito gave her a curious look and she was quick to respond.

"I'm going to follow him," she said, and she too, was out the door before Akito could get a word in.

Ikki was fast when he wanted to be, so Ringo had to really pay attention to where she was going when she chased after him. In a straight line, Ikki was faster than her, so she was thankful he had made so many twists and turns as he moved, even though after a good look at the familiar surroundings, she had a feeling she knew where the boy was heading. And she wasn't very fond of it.

"Does she even still show up here?" the girl asked out loud to herself, face twisting into thought. She slowed to a stopped at the area she unfortunately recognized and peered after Ikki from the shadows. Yup, this was definitely the spot, and Ikki was definitely sitting on that same ledge, looking up at the same sky, undoubtedly waiting for that same person. Ringo suppressed a curse; there was no way she was still meddling, was there? Something in her gut was telling her things she didn't want to hear.

After a quick glance to her watch she heard it. The scraping of metal, the swishing of air. She looked to Ikki, who was leaning back and gazing upwards, waiting. Sure enough, a flash of pink brushed across the sky, and that damn swallow was soaring just over the crow's head. And Ikki… oh and Ikki looked just as fascinated as he did back then.

Time had passed, yet it felt like she was still stuck in the same place.

As if on cue, the same feelings from that time resurfaced. Ringo's chest tightened in a painful way, and she clutched at the clothing just over her heart as if to sooth its aching. She mouthed Ikki's name and forced herself to look again, forced herself to watch as Simca made a graceful landing in front of the boy, hands tucked behind her back and standing in such an obvious flirtatious way.

She took a single step forward, ready to break it up before anything began but then… what would she be doing other than ruining her own chances? Making Ikki's decisions for him, the same thing she had scolded Simca for before. And if she showed any jealously towards that girl, Ikki would catch onto her feelings. Isn't that what she wanted? But no! They were like brother and sister, right? That's how Ikki saw her, right? It would be weird if it were anything else. So why did thinking that way bother her so much? No matter what, she just wanted Ikki to be happy. In the end, that was all that mattered.

Ringo's head started to pound and she shook it angrily, gritting her teeth so she wouldn't make any sound by mistake. When she looked back, Simca was right in front of Ikki, who had gotten to his feet himself when she wasn't paying attention.

The swallow was saying something to him, and Ringo strained to hear it but most of it was lost in the distance between them. But she had that lust filled smile on her lips and that evil glint in those dark eyes. Her hands reached out and cupped Ikki's face in her palms like some child.

However, part of Ringo cheered, Ikki didn't seem as interested as he had when he had first started to crush on Simca. His face looked dull, bored, and he waved an indifferent hand in the air. And to add onto Ringo's enjoyment, the boy looked off to the side, away from _her_ and he said something that apparently offended the girl, because she placed her hands on her hips but kept that smug grin on her face.

Then the pink haired girl nodded and wagged a finger at him as she spoke, something about the old days, and then she opened her top to reveal her flawless, soft breasts. Man, she worked fast.

Ringo had to grab her mouth to keep herself from squealing her anger too loudly as she watched Simca make a grab for Ikki's head and drag him into that death trap. With a huge smile, Simca buried the boy in her breasts and cradled him, while Ikki bristled in what was probably pleasure and he melted right there when Simca finally pulled away.

That slut! By now Ringo was biting at her lip to keep silent. She was sure that by the time she got home it would be bruised at the least. She took a moment to pull back into the shadows and fan herself with her hand. They couldn't know she was here, Ikki couldn't know she was spying on him, even if that wasn't her original intention.

Once she had found her calm again, she poked her head around the corner. Only now Ikki was alone, and walking her way. And, now, Ringo wasn't ready to confront Ikki about anything like she was intending. The talk about his attitude lately, and… about her feelings… could wait.

--

--

He had been out all day, doing nothing.

Walking back, Ikki was pretty damn sure he was being watched around the time he'd left home... He didn't know _who_ it was or _why_, but he didn't particularly _care_, either. All he knew was he could feel it. He buried his hands in his pockets and kept his strut slow. Whoever was watching him was gone now; he didn't feel them anymore. He had a few ideas of who is could be, as well as their motives, so he didn't feel the need to feel threatened. They were all harmless.

That was hours ago, though. It was already getting dark out now, and with so much on his mind, he didn't really notice it right away.

Maybe he was just losing his ability to run around town without drawing too much attention to himself. After all, Simca the Swallow had seen him, and he didn't intend for that to happen, either. She was even still trying to flirt with him, in a very skilled manner, dare he say, and proceeded with her usual ways.

And yeah, it was nice. It was always nice. Simca's breasts were soft and warm and plentiful, with lots of bounce and smooth as a baby's bottom. Ikki laughed briefly at himself for being able to describe them in such a way. But even though it was something most boys would crave, and he was one of those boys a while ago, it just didn't hold that same satisfaction as it used to. There was nothing behind it other than lust. Time had eventually taught Ikki that he was being toyed with. That Simca had a thing for power, for making boys want her, and a weakness for a cute face, and her body helped her with getting what she wanted and she knew it, but he had accepted that the girl was mostly after lustful goals.

She liked to make him smile. Which was different than wanting to make him happy.

Another thing time had given him was a sense of logic and maturity. He saw the world with better eyes, so to speak, and Simca's methods were rather obvious once you took the time to stand back and look it up and down. So no, having his cheeks sandwiched between her breasts felt empty, useless, and all around unnecessary. But the swallow was just so full of herself and her looks, that she couldn't resist the chance to try to get the hopes of some boy up. Especially if that boy was him – the said soon to be Sky King.

Not that Simca's body wasn't a good pack of eye candy, but that's not the point.

It was true that she had placed a sure confidence in him and his ability. She knew the things he was capable of. Maybe she really did have a small spot in her heart that really loved Ikki for who he really was. But it just wasn't enough.

So why did he go there in the first place? To settle things once and for all between them? To call her out and see what the hell it was she really wanted? She didn't take it too well, however. But no, that wasn't why he was there. He needed a place to think, and that was all.

Ikki turned a corner just as the street light above him started to flicker. After meeting with Simca he had done nothing but waste his time running around and doing nothing of any particular interest. Somehow his sense of security lessened. As he got close to home he heard noises. Not the wind or anything like that. Not late night joggers or drivers. Not even animals roaming the streets. It was a sound he knew like instinct; the sound of wheels rolling over concrete.

It made him nervous, though he couldn't pinpoint a specific reason. It was night, but that didn't mean people weren't allowed to be outside. And as Ikki got close, his mind played worst case scenarios. Someone breaking into his house, with people inside, for instance.

The crow dipped down low and moved as quietly as he could. In about a minute or so he saw it; a figure, lean and agile moving around in the twilight. He moved swiftly, with grace and preciseness, and it only took a moment for Ikki to understand it was Kazu he was looking at. No one else moved like the blonde boy did, and it was easy for Ikki to identify Kazu's style and speed.

The hat helped too.

The only thing that struck Ikki as odd was his expression. Angry and hot and bothered. Too much focus, too much thinking, not enough relaxation. He wasn't letting the wind push and pull him like he usually did.

Several cans lined up along the road, a technique that Kazu usually did when practicing on his own to perfect his turning. They were placed closely together – so close that Ikki wondered if it was even possible to turn so sharply. He watched as Kazu sped forward, legs bending in impossible looking ways to swerve around the empty cans, and as Ikki got closer and Kazu caught sight of him, the sound of aluminum falling onto concrete sounded.

From that, Kazu nearly stumbled over himself but caught his balance before anything happened. A sloppy curse flew from his lips as a single can went spinning over to Ikki's feet. He clenched his fists tightly.

"Eh, sorry," Ikki offered automatically, picking up the can.

"Not your fault," Kazu responded shortly, eyes cast downward and refusing to look up. "I should be able to do something simple like that even with distractions."

Ouch. Talk about beating yourself up. Ikki somewhat cringed.

"How long have you been doing this?"

"Not long enough, apparently" the blonde huffed irritably, more to himself than anything. He turned abruptly and fixed his eyes on the can. "Something like this shouldn't even be considered a challenge. And I screwed it up."

Ikki cleared his throat nervously. He couldn't really recall a time when he'd seen or heard Kazu sound so cold. Then again, it felt like he was beginning to act this way more and more lately. Why was he being so hard on himself? Ikki opened his mouth but then shut it again. Sometimes, words just didn't come to him the way he wished they would. An angry Kazu was something that, even after so many years of knowing him, he didn't fully understand how to handle. There were some things he just didn't like to confront.

Actually, he opted to walk away. Because he didn't know how to deal with it. So he tossed the can at Kazu, who in turn caught it easily. Then Ikki turned the other way, and made his way towards the house. He didn't even offer a farewell.

Only Kazu's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"I'm sorry, man."

And it sent a wave of relief over him. Kazu had just saved him the trouble of fixing the mistake he had just made. Ikki turned back around, small grin planted on his lips.

"It's cool, dude."

"It's just that, uh," Kazu uttered, putting a hand to the back of his neck and rubbing at it. "I dunno, I guess I'm a little wound up recently."

"I haven't noticed," Ikki smiled sarcastically, crossing his arms. "What's the deal?"

"It's hard to explain," the blonde responded rather quickly, somewhat catching the crow off guard. Like he'd been running through that phrase with himself for a while now. He quickly turned around to face the other direction, voice noticeably sunken a bit. "There's something I have to do. On my own, y'know?"

"You mean like something in your personal life?" Ikki questioned curiously, trying to make sense of Kazu's strange behavior. If something was going on in Kazu's personal life, it would make the dots connect a little better and paint a better picture of why he was acting the way he was recently. And on his own? Was he telling him to back off?

"Kinda."

"Kinda? Stop beating around the bush. It's not like you." And honestly, Ikki felt a little uncomfortable when people didn't act like themselves.

"Well you see, there's this…" Kazu began and then very abruptly cut himself short and looked to the ground. Something about this just felt wrong. Why was he burdening Ikki? Why was he allowing the other boy to see him like this? "Sorry, just forget it."

Although Ikki wanted to press the matter, he simply didn't. Respecting his best friend's wishes, and pretending to buy that oh so fake smile he wore, he kept his mouth shut, turned towards his house and left, leaving the blonde to stand in the darkened streets all alone with his training cans.

Kazu didn't have to see him leave. He could just picture Ikki walking away all on his own, see the look he probably had in his eyes and immediately questioned himself. He'd always been the type that was able to speak his mind. When it came to Ikki, though, it was a lot harder to express those feelings. Because, somehow, speaking about it with Ikki didn't feel like camaraderie or loyalty or trust. It felt more like weakness.

He despised that feeling.


	9. Rush

**A/N: **Alright folks, you've all been good and patient and now it's time for the fic to start shifting in its more serious tone. This chapter's mostly about Kazu, and it's an important chapter, 'coz it's kinda like the first domino. This chapter should have a different feel to it than the others. I apologize ahead of time if things seem a little... off. So don't miss a beat !

No really, I am sorry. I keep reading over this chapter and no matter how many times I fix it and change it, I just end up not liking it at all. **I'm having a hard time making it flow, and it just sounds so confusing, so feel free to hate me.** Just, please in your reviews, go easy on me...

Uggh I had SO much trouble picking a title. I shuffled between 'Speeding Bullet' to 'Speed Demons' to 'LeadFoot'. It was such a hard choice .

**NOTE! **I **suck** at making up names. So work with me, here… :(

I also don't know if there is a subway where they live or not, but for the sake of the story, let's say that there is. Oh and sorry if things seem to move a little fast in this chapter. I tried.

ALSO, in opening notes, I say also a lot.

Thank You!

**Slifer: **Don't be sorry for not having time to review. I'M sorry for not seeing your review until after I posted the last chapter! I'm so sorry  But as always thank you for your lovely comments and I agree with you. Emiri/Kazu and Ikki/Kazu are both very cute pairings and sometimes it's hard to pick one. As far as Kazu's inferiority complex is concerned, you're just gonna have to sit tight and see, I'm afraid.

**Emi Sue: **Yeah, I would feel too guilty if I didn't give little Emiri some sense of closure. You seem like you understand everything pretty well, lol. Ikki is kinda thick headed, huh? And sometimes I almost forget to stick Akito into the mix when I've been meaning to, so I had to give him a part. There should be a little more of him in the future. Also, I think Ringo and Simca are cool, **only** when they are not gawking over Ikki in some way. Sadly, I have to stick them into the story, 'coz she DOES live with Ikki, heh.

**ren'ai-iki: **I TOLD you that you would like Sano, didn't I? When have I ever steered you wrong with yaoi:P Have you read the manga or watched the anime, yet? Cuz you should! Why haven't you been posting anything? Also, thanks for the plot suggestion, I'll definitely consider it.

**Blizzaris: **WAH! Another long-ass review! I love it, lol! I thought it would be cute to have Kazu wear his hat in his sleep, cuz he's so damn attached to it. And as for a oneshot with that in mind, I'll think about it. It depends 'coz I was actually going to have a flashback somewhere in the story about where he got it from and why he's so attached to it. But you are just so darn perceptive that you get ahead of me :P And yeah, I had a little too much fun writing Akito's part. I like to embarrass my boys!

**E-san: **Hah Iron works in mysterious ways. It was really fun to read your guesses! You're close! Just stay tuned and eventually things will start to make more sense, but you're heading in the right direction. And boy if Iron ever got anything on tape or webcam, I'd have to get in contact with him. And of course, once I got into contact with him I would share whatever I find with you!

**kyou-ryouko: **Doh! I hate with when my reviews get eaten up! But that's ok, your words still made me feel good! So happy I could make your inner fangirl happy with those little teasers. And keep up with your writing! I know a lot more people are reading it than reviewing, so keep it up. They're soooo effing cute and I eat them up!

**darissa: **yay, I'll take it as a good thing, and as a compliment that you are growing to like Sano! That makes me feel like I'm doing my job! Lol, yeah, both Sano and Simca are perverts in their own way, don't ya think? The real question is, which one is more fun to watch? I have a feeling a lot of people are going to be feeling bad for other people, cuz there are just so many love connections in them mix.

**aoh: **Thank you! The only way to find out is to stick around!

**Arani: **aww thank you! It's okay if it took you a while to review, as long as you eventually did it, then I'm happy! I'm happy to hear that you've been reading my work, it's very flattering! I agree with you. Fanfiction is the only thing we have since the series won't actually animate Ikki Kazu love. But boy don't I wish. Anyway, I hope you'll stick around.

* * *

--

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**Air Gear**

_A fiction by Crimson Vixen_

**Rush**

--

--

* * *

It felt extremely different. 

Back in the day, he was what you classified as the reluctant friend, and now he was the kid who tried to do everything he could to prove that _that_ just wasn't the case. He had always tried to do things on his own, if not for his own personal feelings of self worth, but there were only certain things he actually went through with. Things like this. Things that he still wasn't used to. It wasn't a bad feeling, just weird. He was still adjusting to it.

It was normal for him to do things to prove himself to Ikki without actually telling the crow of these actions. One might even say he was obsessed over it, but in the end, he didn't give a rat's ass what everyone _else_ thought. Just Ikki. Sure it sounded stupid, but Kazu was never one to lie to himself about that kind of thing.

Because let's face it – Ikki is just so damn cool. And as much as Kazu still enjoyed standing obediently at his side, he wanted to feel as though he deserved that spot, so every now and again he would go out and prove to himself that he belonged there. So tonight, he told no one of his whereabouts, and tonight, he would overcome the rumors that he'd been hearing as of late. And he would do it all on his own.

Kazu shivered. Those damn rumors had been plaguing him in his sleep, nagging at his brain during the day and squeezing his chest until his heart was screaming for more room because if the rumors were _true_, then, well…

He might not have a place to stand anymore.

The part of the city he had wondered into was a place he'd always avoided because he'd never taken the time to find his way around it. It wasn't scary or anything, nor was it deserted, but there _were_ a lot fewer people roaming around and Kazu was rarely comfortable being around places he wasn't familiar with. He had followed the leads he had found and made his way into a darker part of town, taking full notice how the crowds around him lessened. He was glad he had chosen the daytime to do this.

Finally, he found what he was looking for. Slowly, he stepped into the shadows that the two adjacent buildings created, immediately feeling the warmth of the sun vanish as he did so. Sound felt trapped here. It was quiet but noise bounced around easily. He concluded this when he heard someone shift in the darkness; a small motion of a shoe on dirt that made a lot of sound. Right away he knew this was it, and these were the people he was looking for. And that there was no turning back now. Besides, if he did, he would never forgive himself.

Kazu jumped right to the point before any hesitation showed through.

"My name is Mikura Kazu. I'm here to challenge you."

It wasn't about parts. It wasn't about rank.

Instead of the intrigued grunt or hum of acceptance he was expecting, they all cackled darkly, as if he'd just made a pathetic attempt at a joke. They all? Kazu gulped – there were definitely more than one hidden in the darkness. His ears perked and his mind did a quick calculation. There were at least three or four that he could hear.

"And what makes a little runt like you think you have what it takes?"

The voice was gruff, stained with what Kazu could only assume to be a long time commitment to nicotine and whiskey. The blonde briefly shrunk back, recovered from the shock and then stepped up again, puffing out his chest a little. He wasn't going to let these jokers turn him away. He couldn't. There was pride at stake.

"Are you backing down?" Kazu pressed his luck, hoping to threaten the egos that they obviously held. They took the bait.

"…Exactly what is a bean pole like you even doing here?" said one of them, footsteps getting louder on the filthy concrete. As he got closer, Kazu tried to squint through the dark, but still he could not see any facial features. If they were just trying to tease him by keeping themselves hidden, they were doing a damn good job. Either that or they were cowards. Unfortunately, he doubted they were.

Well, honesty had never failed him in the past, so, Kazu told the truth.

"…I heard a rumor on the streets about a really fast rider. It took me a while to find the right info, but he's here, right? A part of your team?"

His nerves started to jitter, hoping he wouldn't land in a giant puddle of embarrassment in front of the people he'd confronted. He also hoped that if he voice was shaking, they wouldn't hear it. He was _sure_ this was the team he'd heard about, so why weren't they responding?

A second later, he heard another laugh, and even though he was shrouded in shadows, Kazu could've sworn he was shaking his head. Fists still clenched, the blonde did his best to bite his tongue. He already felt like it wasn't safe to be here; he didn't want to bark more than he needed to. Ikki did that and it always landed him into trouble. Thing was, Ikki was always able to get _out_ of those situations just as easily.

He wasn't Ikki. That was part of the reason he was here. To show Ikki that he could do something right, on his own, without his or anyone else's help, in a way that would make Ikki proud. Even if... he didn't actually find out about it.

Lifting his chin high, and puffing his chest out even more, he kept his posture strong. One thing was for sure. Even if he was a different person than Ikki…

_He's rubbing off on me._

At first the thought was comforting, reassuring. But even _if _Ikki was able to come home in one piece, he'd always return a little more than disheveled, a little more wise, a little more serious about what he was doing. Kazu gulped, a little louder than he would have liked. Kazu wasn't that way. He enjoyed fighting, but didn't like confrontation.

"Hey Riffle!" the one he was apparently talking to called, over his shoulder it seemed. His voice was sudden and loud, and Kazu jumped. Then, more quietly, facing Kazu, he spoke again. "You have no idea what you're getting yourself into."

_But I'm starting to get an idea…_

"You just challenged the speeding bullet."

Kazu had heard the rumors, had researched to the best of his ability, obsessed over them, lost sleep over them. In the end he was left with little information - just a rider name and a location - and the speeding bullet was one thing he never forgot. It was his new motivation to get up in the mornings, and the last thing on his mind before going to sleep. It was the very reason he trained as hard as he had been recently. It was why he'd been trying so hard to be just a little bit better, and a little bit faster than before. Because this 'speeding bullet' he'd been focusing on, was indeed, a threat to who he was.

Stealing his thunder, if you will.

Once that was taken, what would he have left?

"What's your bet?"

Kazu blinked, stuffing his clammy hands into his pockets to hide them from the bitter air. He didn't know _he_ was going to be the one calling the shots. He hadn't thought of what to put on the line. In fact, didn't think of any of this though – just show up and go with the flow.

His opponent seemed to be gathering his silence as his answer and laughed. It sounded like he was smiling.

"Oh so it's just a game of egotism. Even better."

Kazu shivered.

"I usually don't take challenges from people like you very seriously, but things have been slow and I could use a good laugh."

The jet's eyes narrowed and his lips twisted to the side, then he let his eyes shift left and right until the silence was broken again. Something felt off.

"How's about…" the voice drawled as though in thought, but Kazu had a gut feeling this guy already knew what he wanted. He was being toyed with, and he just had to bite down on his tongue harder. "If you win, we'll let you scram home without any trouble. We won't even tell anyone about how badly you got beat. I think that's pretty fair."

Kazu swallowed the lump in his through. He didn't want to have to face the punishment for losing. But no matter what the risk, Kazu already told himself he wouldn't back down.

Pride wasn't the only thing at stake here.

So he nodded. The game was set, and the moment he'd been thinking about so much for so long had finally arrived. Like some bad omen, foggy black clouds rolled in, just above the ally where he stood. Kazu looked up at them as if inquiring _why him_, when a giant hand slapped him on the shoulder, jolting him to attention.

"Come on, string bean, this way," he said in a rather unfriendly manner, tugging his sweatshirt sleeve until he followed all his own. Kazu shrugged him off violently, trying not to announce how he wasn't very fond of people poking at the size of his frame. He wasn't totally proud of it but Kazu partially felt it was part of the reason he was able to move so fast.

"Comin'…"

"The rules are really simple, but I'll spell them out for you anyway," he explained as they walked, leaving the rest of the group to follow them. Kazu didn't look back at them, didn't want to see them. He assumed the one leading him now was the very man he was supposed to race. Speeding Bullet, huh? He certainly looked the part. He was a tall, greasy looking fellow with shiny skin and a boney face. His jet black hair was easily slicked back and he didn't smell of flowers, that was for sure. "Whoever reaches the finish line first wins."

Kazu had a lump in his throat that stubbornly kept his mouth dry. Being a part of Ikki's team, he wasn't allowed to be a coward. At least, that was what he always told himself.

"…Right."

Why was his voice shaking like that? He was Stealth, the jet, able to move so fast that the naked eye couldn't keep up! He was a member of a supposedly legendary team.

He certainly didn't feel like it, though.

"When the light turns green, go straight until you reach the subway. The course follows the tracks underground to the first stop, then you come up to the street and come back here. Got it?"

Kazu took a moment to run it all through his head again. Straight to the subway, follow tracks to the first stop, come back. He hoped he find his way around well enough to make it through without botching it. But that thought wasn't very comforting, considering this place was practically new to him. If this guy was really as fast as they say he was, he really couldn't afford to waste time. A single second could cost him the race. Not to mention the humiliation of losing and getting the crap beat out of him. Or... whatever they planned on doing. He'd been in fights before. But there was just something about these guys. A strange vibe. They weren't any middle schoolers or high schoolers.

"We're starting, runt," a voice cut into his thoughts.

Glowering and rather sick of all the names, though he kinda expected it, Kazu nodded and got into his starting position. Thankfully, his crouching start was verbally left alone for once, and he was able to mentally prep himself in peace. When he lifted his head, the streetlight was yellow. His heart gave a massive thump.

_Focus on breathing, focus on where you need to go. No heart attacks, _he tried to joke with himself. _If you do, you'll lose for sure._

Time slowed for him, like it always did seconds before a race. He noticed he was starting to sweat when the light hit red. He could only hear his own breathing, and everything else around him turned into colors that held no meaning.

It was the longest red light he'd ever seen, but when it finally flicked green...

_GO!_

His leg muscles strained to push him forward, to give himself a boost, face dipping down low to the street before he was able to spring forward. Wind like thunder roared in his ears, and he glanced back to see how much of a lead he had. But he saw no one.

Fearing the worst, Kazu forced himself to push a little harder, which he knew wasn't the best strategy to use near the start of a race, but he was never faced with this opposition before. When he couldn't find his opponent, he just focused on where he was going, at least until he heard that gruff voice.

"Well I'll be," he laughed, and Kazu turned to see him right alongside him. "I knew there was something I didn't like about you. This could be an interesting day after all."

From what Kazu could sense, there was a bit of jealousy in his tone, even in his posture. To be honest, Kazu didn't blame the guy, for he felt the same way. When you have an amazing and somewhat rare ability, you can't help but feel a little startled and susceptible when you find someone else with that same ability. It was obvious he'd never seen a runner such as himself before and the both of them felt a fuse light inside of them. Briefly, their eyes met in a dangerous way.

Kazu pushed himself even harder.

"Impressive," the other racer quipped insincerely. "But you've still got a lot of growing up to do."

Before Kazu could even register and figure out those words, his opponent jerked to the side, colliding into him – _hard! _– and the next thing Kazu knew, he was eating concrete and the world was just as he hated it: clear and still. He could hear the laugher of that dirty cheater for a split second before it was gone, _he_ was gone.

Angry, sore, a little scared, he stood up, and without even attempting to shake it off, took off after him. What a horrible way to start such an important race, what an even worse way to end it.

Kazu gave a little more thrust into his legs, then. He pushed harder than before, until the wind burned his face and forced his eyes to leak, until it felt as though his feet weren't even touching the ground anymore.

Moments before, their speed felt treacherously equal, and now he could see him in the distance. He was so close but not getting any closer. His chest ached as he forced himself to go faster still – _faster, faster dammit _– putting his feet into overdrive and leaning forward to pour his weight into it, already coming close to his limit. He'd never gone so fast in all his life.

Just as he felt himself slowly catching up, or at least he felt like he was, the other rider disappeared to the right. Kazu's eyes barely had time to flicker over to the subway entrance but he caught it right before he passed it. The turn he made was a difficult one – thank goodness he had practiced with those stupid cans. Irritatingly, he had to somewhat skid a little to avoid passing it up, and the sharp turn he made was enough to leave a steaming skid mark on the road behind him. He mentally apologized to his AT's.

_Hang in there. You can take it._

Leaping over the stairs instead of grinding the rail or slowing down for them completely, he landed hard at the bottom, trying to ignore the sting on his knees. He didn't expect there to be a massive sea of people but that was what he found.

_Let's see, through the subway, through the subway… _

He hated wasting time trying to think it all through because he needed to use every second. Sparks flashed and caught his eye. People gasped as some idiot grinded along the rails of one of the tracks and into the tunnel.

Swallowing any doubts he had, he did the same, grabbing a track with his wheels and grinding along with sparks sprinkling out behind him. It was then that a thought struck him.

There were people in the subway, so... didn't that mean these things were still in use? He swallowed hard, finding that keeping balanced on subway tracks wasn't too hard, but keeping up was. He was used to being the one that other people try to catch up to, not being the one trying to catch up with someone else.

Depressing thought…

He pushed. At least the guy was in his sights. That meant there was still hope.

"Come on," Kazu growled, urging his feet to work better, work _faster_, get serious. He was angry; if he hadn't been caught off guard at the start, he could be ahead right now.

Could be? If he was so great, why couldn't he just catch up? What if he wasn't all that great…

There! He could see it! The first stop, busy with people, but why was it so bright?

"Shit!" the boy cursed. A subway train was coming from the opposite direction. If he didn't time this just right, not only would he lose the race, he might lose his life. Jump too late, get run over by a subway train. Jump too soon, hit the wall, and _then _get his by a subway train. He didn't have time to weigh his options thoroughly, not with the distance closing so quickly.

Time went frame by frame for him in the next few moments, and several things happen in the next few seconds.

First, he watched his opponent leap off the tracks and grind up the stair rail and into the streets. Second, the train's horn was rattling his ear drums, as if doing so would help him get out of the way any faster. Think faster. There _was_ no time to think! If he leapt to the track next to him and slowed down to let the train pass him by, he would have no time to catch up and would lose the race for sure. If he jumped now he could still make it, but he'd be cutting it close.

He screamed in frustration and closed his eyes, leaping to the side towards the platform and quite possibly the stupidest decision/mistake he'd ever made in his life, just as the train was passing by.

The sound of the horn hurt his ears, but not as much as his heart pounding in his chest, calling him an idiot, among other things, and he landed with a painful thud on the platform, feeling the front of the massive machine knick his wheels in its passing. That tiny knick sent him reeling, breaking the crowd in half as his body slid along the ground and hit the stairs.

His back cracked painfully against the steps and his head jerked back and banged it pretty hard as well. But it was ok, though. If he had jumped just a fraction of a second later… he'd be dead.

Crazy, huh? The things that your adrenaline will make you do if you want to win badly enough?

He sprang to his feet, ignoring the painful throbs coursing through his body. There was no time to reminisce about his near death experience.

"Damn!" he cursed. _Don't know the track well enough._

His muscles throbbed, his left leg tensed sorely, his eyes searched frantically. The race was practically half way over and stupid little miscalculations like this were throwing him off. If he didn't spend so much time questioning that jump, he might still be at that guy's heels. Kazu kept scolding himself like this as he sprang up the stairs and back into the open sun. There he stood, shielding his eyes from the light.

People stopped in their tracks to gasp and stare at the battered boy but he paid them no mind. A moment was almost too long but he took it to gather in his surroundings and figure out what direction he was facing.

_Anything familiar, anything at all…_

Aha! A street he recognized and… there! He knew where to go now – he just hoped he could make it count. Just a dash – just a straight dash to the finish line and he'd be home free. One race to end all of the rumors, to make up for the sleep he'd lost, to prove _once and for all _that it was _he_ who deserved to hold the title of the fastest rider. And he deserved to stand by Ikki's side!

But where _was_ his newly found rival? He had moved pretty fast, regardless of what had almost happened, so, he couldn't have fallen that far behind, could he? No, no, he wouldn't let… he _couldn't _lose his title, the only thing he _had_, to some _punk!_

He easily raced along the road, eaily dodging the people that got in his way, among street lights and parked cars and the like. After a few seconds of weaving back and forth, he finally set eyes on the finish line. His vision turning an almost blinding white as he raced forward, his eyes fixed on that forsaken swinging streetlight, and with one final thrust he crossed it, collapsing to his knees painfully upon doing so. He skid a little, until his jeans tore at the knees, and once he finally stopped, his hands slapped onto the ground and he sat there on all fours. His breathing was raspy and short, his sides were aching, he needed water… he'd never pushed himself so hard before in a race – never had so many things happened to hold him back.

His ears were ringing and his head was spinning. He stared at the ground, trying to catch the breath that had betrayed him so badly and all he could do was hate himself. Not because of the risk he took, and not because he was struggling to stand tall in front of his enemies, not because he was careless and was definitely going to be sore tomorrow morning…

But because he'd lost. He'd let himself down. He'd let _Ikki _down. And even thought he other boy had no idea of what was going on, Kazu didn't know how he was going to be able to look the crow in the eyes again.

He, Mikura Kazuma, Stealth, had lost his first race. It didn't feel very good. Briefy he wondered if this was the way people felt when he beat them in races, and then he wondered how they dealed with it. It left a pang in his chest he couldn't swallow down. He eyed the ground and his gloved hands, until a pair of feet stepped into his field of vision.

"I haven't had that much fun in a long time. Usually people lose me in the first five seconds. You managed to make it to the finish line," that voice said almost proudly. It made the blonde feel sick, cradling his tender stomach and leaning forward until his forehead rested on the cool ground. "But a deals a deal."

Kazu's eyes jolted open and he scrambled to his feet, all his pain temporarily forgotten. He bit his lip viciously. Kazu never really liked backing down from a bet, but…

He wasn't sure what he was thinking – hell, maybe he wasn't – but he turned tail and ran. Feeling like a coward, he ran, but the speeding bullet easily moved quick enough to grab his hood and jerk him back hard enough to land him back on the ground. Kazu knew he was in trouble, but even as his challenger and his buddies surrounded him like buzzards to a carcass, he could only torture himself with one thought.

Maybe a speeding bullet is just faster than a speeding jet plane.

--

* * *

--

"I knew I'd find you up here," Ringo smiled softly as she made her way onto the roof. Ikki was sprawled out and soaking up the sun, eyes closed in a very relaxed expression. Ringo wasn't sure if the boy heard her. "Ikki?"

"Huh?" Ikki turned his head slightly and caught the girl in his sights. He patted the space next to him and returned to his previous position. Ringo easily took the invitation and sat down, wrapping her arms loosely around her knees. Earlier today she was greatly distracted with the run-in with Simca and it had set her back a bit. But Ikki was up here all alone so it was a good time to get _something_ accomplished. Holding it in was only making her feel miserable.

So… she figured she'd just get it out in little pieces.

"What are you thinking about?"

Ikki wrinkled his nose. Why did girls always ask that?

"I dunno."

Ringo laughed, "How can you not know?"

"M'not sure," Ikki opened his eyes, smiling very faintly. "I just feel a little uneasy, is all. Something feels wrong."

Ringo frowned.

"Maybe you're thinking a little too much," the girl offered. Then, after she got nothing in return, "I've been meaning to talk to you, Ikki."

Right away Ikki was able to sense the worry in her voice and he immediately sat up and shifted his body to face her. He made eye contact, something he learned could make all the difference when listening to someone else speak. He didn't even have to say anything for Ringo to start speaking.

"Ikki, you've been really distracted lately. After that incident with the police, you've been acting differently. I just wanted to know if everything was okay," she said quietly, then added, "and you know you can always talk to me if you need to. I'll listen."

Ikki stared at her for a moment, admiring her sincerity but let out a small chuckle anyway. How girls could have such an easy time saying these sorts of things, without hesitation, was past him.

"Thanks Ringo, but I'm fine," he said simply.

"Are you?" she pressed. "I mean, I wonder if you're really headed in any real direction."

"Say what now?"

"Oh. Well…" Ringo brought a hand up to her bangs and brushed them aside a little. "I know where you want to go as far as AT is concerned. I'm talking about outside AT."

Again, the crow stared for a moment, brain ticking. His direction in life?

"I haven't really thought about it. I don't see any reason to. I'm in middle school – I have lots of time to figure it out."

Then he smiled at himself. Damn, that was a good answer. He'd never been good at planning things out in the long run, just the short run. And really, now, planning your life before you got to live it just felt silly. He was much better at making things happen as he went, at any rate.

"I see," Ringo sighed. "So for now you're just gonna focus on AT. What about school?"

"Hah, I never really had much going for me there to begin with. My grades are shit."

"Hmm. What about girls?"

Right away Ringo blushed, even though she told herself she wouldn't. She didn't know how she had gotten the nerve to ask him such a thing. That kind of thing was personal, wasn't it? What if Ikki saw right through her? Oh man, oh man…

"Eh…" Ikki paused to seriously think about it for a moment. Then he shrugged. "I'm a bit too busy for girls right now. Or at least a serious relationship."

Ringo smiled at Ikki. He really _had_ grown up in a short period of time. He was like a new person entirely, yet was still the Ikki she had always admired.

After looking him over really quick she gathered that he wanted to be left alone. He seemed a little too lost in thought for the conversation to go anywhere, including where she wanted it to, and she greatly respected his wishes, standing up and dusting herself off.

So he wasn't ready for a relationship right now. That was okay – she could wait a little longer before she attempted anything. After bidding him a fond good night, she took a single step before Ikki's hand clutched at her ankle. He gave a small tug and Ringo obediently sat back down.

"Ikki?"

And in that instant, Ikki closed the distance between them and pecked her chastely on the cheek. Ringo blushed bright red and felt her face go hot. Ikki had kissed her, on his own, of his own, free, will! And although the way he did it just screamed _brotherly_, she couldn't help but feel special in that way that only girls with crushes could feel. It wasn't the kind of thing she dreamed about. But it was a start.

"Thank you, Ringo. For being so concerned. Try not to worry about me so much. I don't have a clue where I'm going but I'll get there just fine. I just don't have time for things like love right now."

Instinctively, she nodded, sensing the finality of the conversation and standing once more. She didn't have the nerve to press the issue of what he had just said. Perhaps directly telling her he wasn't ready for love was a way of telling her to wait a little bit longer.

She had to stifle a laugh, however. Sometimes she wondered if Ikki practiced these kinds of lines in his head before saying them out loud just in order to sound cool. It wasn't really an un-Ikki-like thing to do. As she walked away towards the edge of the roof, she heard Ikki say one last thing, and if it was to himself or to her, she couldn't tell.

"But…I guess… if it happens, it happens. I… don't think love is really something that can be helped."


	10. Unexplored Terrain

**A/N: please read – **It seems that no matter how many times I go over chapters, I always miss things. I re-read some of my other chapters and literally cursed at myself for missing some grammar errors. So if you see any in this chapter, I'm sorry. When I have the free time I plan on going back to the other chapters and fixing the mistakes I see.

I also seem to have difficulty writing chapters that don't have a lot of action in them.

I know that when I posted How To Catch A Cold, I mentioned that I would get around to getting this up. I'm surprised it happened so soon! lol.

Anyway… I know you guys are anxious to see what happens to Kazu, but I have to torture you just a bit longer, sorry, heehee.. Always keep them askin' for more I always say!

OH! If you haven't read the opening notes of my one shot **How To Catch A Cold**, I mentioned how I'm still looking for people willing to do fan art for Folly and Sin chapters. I do recall having an offer before, if you're still interested, let me know.

**Thank you: **I had lots of nice, long, wonderful reviews this time around!

**Slifer: **Knowing that the race kept you that entertained is a compliment. You're right in saying that Kazu has no choice now but to grow as a person, and I'm really looking forward to writing his growth. I also agree with you on Ikki and Ringo's relationship. For some reason, even when I try, I have trouble seeing them together as anything more than friends or brother and sister. Maybe I'm just too bias with Kazu, though. That's a good possibility. Hmm…

**E-san: **From the sounds of it, you're about as attached to Kazu as I am, sympathizing with him and all. It's fun when you're able to do that, isn't it? I think that's why I love writing him so much. There's so many realistic things about him for people (and me :P) to relate to. And yeah, as much as I rather have Ikki glomp Kazu over Ringo, I _do_ like Ringo's character, when she's not crying for some reason or another.

**Emi Sue: **Aww, you got nervous, hehe. I'm so happy to hear that you were that attached to the screen during those parts. It's flattering to hear as a writer. And don't worry, lol, I shout at stories on the screen all the time, and gain funny looks from the people around me at the time.

**Blizzaris: **Oh dear, I'm sure everyone was just waiting for that chapter. It was about time something decently exciting took place, amirite? I was really hoping that the chapter wasn't too confusing, or that people didn't have too hard of time picturing certain things, 'coz I was really feeling like it wasn't coming across too clear. I'm super happy to hear that you and everyone enjoyed it so much, and don't worry, all of us girls are guilty at one time or another for asking other people what they're thinking. We can be tomboys for all we know, asking 'what are you thinking' is just in our nature I think.

**Arani: **Daww, hunny try not to imagine such horrible things. Although I can't promise anything. You are very beautiful with words in your review, my dear, making my heart melt with your flickering flame comparison. I know you and the rest of the readers are just waiting for some Ikki and Kazu action, but just hold on a little bit longer, Ikki will get a clue and then everyone will be happy. Or least we'll hope.

**ren'ai-iki: **Yup! He lost! Like everyone else you're just gonna have to wait and see what happens next. And a story for me!? You're always so nice to me, and I appreciate how you're always trying to put a smile back on my face. I hope soon you'll get into the AG vibe and start something of your own one day.

**kyou-ryouko: **glad to make your day! I do that all the time, makin' noises when something I like has been updated. Sorry for the super long wait, though. I hope this makes up for it.

**DevaGlenn: **Don't worry about not reviewing for the other stories or chapters. Just you letting me know that you read them and love them is enough to make me happy, thank you! By the by, you have good tastes in pairings.

**shiningtears: **Ikki and Kazu ARE very cute! I'm sorry for taking so long. And I thought it would be cute for Kazu to be so attached to his hat that he would wear it on his head even while he slept.

**Lefty: **Don't worry! Though I guess I can't really say that, heh. It's nice to come across other Kazu fans like yourself, who can also relate to all the things I put him, er, I mean, all the things he seems to go through. Thank you for your compliments on the plot and especially on the characterization. Sorry about the grammar errors. As I've state, I plan to go back and fix those. Glad to be able to convert you to the IkkiKazu ship. This pairing could always use more fans.

**minoki: **Thank you! Here is the next chapter for you!

**manicalpha: **Mind? I don't mind _at all_! In fact I would be honored! I'm glad you like it enough to link it. Do you mind me asking the link to your journal? You're right, where in the world are all the Ikki Kazu fics!? They're so hard to come by and in my eyes its such an obvious pairing!

**Saapasjalka: **Thank you, I was really worried that the title Rush, well, _sucked_. I think we all have our ideas of what certain couples should be like, I'm just glad I could come close to matching your image of them. Sorry for leaving you off with a sorta cliffhanger, and even more sorry that this chapter isn't too action packed, but at least it's done. I had such a hard time getting it done.

* * *

--

**Air Gear**

_A fiction by Crimson Vixen_

**Unexplored Terrain**

* * *

Ikki wasn't sure _why_ the place Onigiri's dad worked at wasn't a big hit. He certainly did love the noodles that the man served him. Buccha could easily second the notion. In fact, the large rider sat right across from him, practically inhaling the contents of his bowl. Ikki had to stop, mid-slurp, to peer over the rim of his own bowl and watch him devour his meal, just because it was that fascinating to watch him eat. 

Onigiri's dad went through the motions he always did when Ikki stopped by. He would tell him where his son was, or complain about how he had no clue where he went. He would ask Ikki if he wanted something to eat, for here or for the road, and then hint at how he still expected a tip, regardless of his friendship with Onigiri or the fact that he used to work for the man. But Ikki shrugged it off. That was just business, right? And Onigiri's dad was cool, when he wasn't leaping down his throat for one thing or another. When he wasn't harping about shit that didn't matter to _him_.

Of course, every now and again, when one of his good moods set in, he would get a good deal on his food. Extra portions, for example.

There wasn't much business today, it seemed. Not that it was ever crowded, but it did get a bit more people than it used to. Ikki and Buccha were currently the only people on any of the booths. Buccha was really going at it, and it was only after the large boy set his bowl heavily down, did the crow finally open his mouth.

"Have you always been like that?"

"Hmm… Huh?" Buccha muttered, a single noodle clinging to the side of his mouth until he slurped it up.

"It's impressive the way you eat like that. Have you always been like that?"

"Haha, no, not always."

"Ah," Ikki nodded idly, and took a sip of his drink, leaning back in his seat. He halfway listened to the sound of Onigiri's dad in the back, messing around with dishes and glasses. Cleaning, probably.

"Ikki."

The crow downed the rest of his drink and looked to Buccha with wide eyes.

"Hmm?"

"You feeling sick? You look out of place."

It caught him by surprise, really. He didn't feel like he was acting 'out of place' or anything, nor did he really think he was giving off any vibe to make Buccha think such a thing.

Well Ikki never liked to make people worry about things they didn't have to. So he easily decided _not_ to explain to Buccha how had been having a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach since earlier today. He didn't want to say how he felt knotted up inside, not knowing what it was that was wrong but just knowing that there was _something_. Something, well, out of place. And he didn't want to share how frustrating it was knowing that you wanted to make that feeling go away but not knowing where or how to start fending it off.

So yeah, he guessed he was a little scrambled, but it was a feeling he was hoping would pass.

Suddenly irritated, Ikki set his cup down a little harder than before, which totally defeated the purpose of trying to keep things from Buccha because the much larger boy only grew suspicious. He eyed Ikki curiously, until the crow sighed, defeated.

"Maybe a little," he offered with a shrug and not much else. He made sure to make it sound final, and thankfully Buccha caught the hint and didn't press the matter, but he didn't forget it either. For the rest of the meal he eyed the other boy suspiciously. Then after they were finished, and after they waved Onigiri's old man goodbye and were walking down the street, his small eyes were still glued to the back of Ikki's head. He was studying him as if the back of his head had all the answers.

Ikki had his hands stuffed deeply into his pockets. It was one of those days where nothing had really gone wrong, but everything didn't feel right. He puckered his lips in thought, slowing down a little so Buccha would catch up and skate alongside him. Expectedly, he did, and after the silence became too uncharacteristic for him, the larger boy spoke up.

"You know," he offered softly. "Comrades are for more than just support in a race."

Ikki eyed the other boy, smirking just a tiny bit, truly thankful for Buccha's concern. He liked being a team leader and being in charge of looking after his teammates, but it was good to know that they were also looking out for him in return.

"I'll keep that in mind," Ikki breathed, stretching his arms out over his head at he walked.

--

* * *

--

Just as they were passing the school, he saw something familiar out of the corner of his eye. Turning his head, he spotted Emiri, in the process of letting her hair fall from a ponytail. She was wearing her track clothes, probably just finishing up a few practice runs. They made eye contact.

"Ikki! Hi!"

"Oh," Ikki stopped in his tracks, hands now resting behind his head. He stared at the girl with half lidded eyes. "Hey there."

As the girl busied herself by dusting herself off, Ikki took note that she was alone. Which was odd, since she was either always accompanied by Yayoi or _accompanying_ Kazu. Either or. He didn't bother beating around the bush.

"Where's Yayoi?"

"Hmm? Well, she's uh…" Emiri blushed, letting her eyes drop to the ground. "She's with… Onigiri."

Both Ikki and Buccha blinked owlishly and then asked her the same question at the same time. Maybe they didn't hear her right.

"What?"

Onigiri folded his hands neatly over his lap, trying to hide his nervousness. Which was hard, considering Yayoi could be very intense when she wanted to be. Her abrupt and direct behavior made small boys cry, and Onigiri couldn't help feeling a tad intimidated by the girl. Currently, she stood there with her arms firmly crossed, face screwed into that of extreme irritation.

Onigiri felt as though he had been called to the principal's office to have a punishment cast upon him for his dirty deeds. Only difference was… this was worse.

"Go on," Yayoi nearly spat, chin held high as she looked down on him. "Explain yourself."

In return, Onigiri stuttered, unable to really think of a way out. There _was_ no excuse. He fiddled his thumbs and stared at them so as not to stare at her. After all those times he went racing through crowds and eyeballing up girl's skirts, he never thought one of those girls would actually pull a 180 and _catch _him. And of all the girls, it had to be Yayoi that did the catching.

Really though, what made it awkward was that she didn't catch him looking up other people's skirts. She caught him looking up _her_ skirt. She was just too fast for him. And he wasn't expecting it. And if he told her the truth of what he was thinking right _now_, it would probably only land him in deeper trouble.

"I'm waiting."

The answer was simple in his head, but in words they wouldn't sound right.

'Coz her legs were prettier than everyone else's. 'Coz _she_ was prettier than everyone else. Because out of all the girls he's pissed off, her face is the cutest when mad. Because she had the nerve to retaliate.

And right now, he really admired how she could stand so tall and proud, even if she was trying to hide that embarrassed blush on her round face.

But he couldn't say any of that, so he shrugged instead.

"I can't believe you would stoop so low!" she barked, giving him a good slap on the side of the head. "It's so disrespectful. Do you actually think that they _like _being-"

She stopped when Onigiri reached out and grabbed her flailing wrist.

"You wouldn't take me seriously if I told you."

Yayoi slowly lowered her eyes down to him, lips tight in restraint from all the things she should say to him, but instead she sighed and let her guard down. Onigiri's eyes looked sincere enough, so why not give him another chance?

"…Try me."

--

* * *

--

"Ikkiiiii!"

He knew that voice anywhere. He managed to turn around just in time to see Akito leaping at him, arms held wide and mouth spread into an open mouthed smile. He knocked the wind right out of Ikki's system when he finally latched onto the crow. Akito rubbed his nose lovingly into the other boy's shirt, cooing something or other.

Ikki gently tried to pry the small boy off, just like always, smiling nervously and trying not to make a scene. How could someone with such a fierce second personality be so damn clingy? And for some reason, Akito's most affectionate moments tended to be in front of other people, or those who judged him, like Mikan, the very person who called it a good day when she could poke fun at his sexuality. As per usual, she was snickering behind her hand while at the same time, not really trying to hide the fact that she thought it was funny.

Ikki growled in his throat and tried a little harder to get the boy to let go of him. Eventually he was able to unwrap those tiny arms from his waist.

"Akito… why?" he muttered hopelessly, pleading with his eyes when the shark finally looked at him.

"Why what? I just like being around you, Ikki!" Akito cheered, big grin in place. He moved in to give another giant hug but Ikki easily sidestepped it, holding out his hand to block him should he try again. It didn't discourage him in the least. "I was hoping me and you could do something together today!"

"Well isn't that a coincidence!" Mikan blurted from the other side of the room, enjoying it a little too much. Ringo walked into the room at that moment, her face confused but quickly catching onto the situation. "Ikki was _just_ saying how much he wanted to spend more time with _you_!"

Both Ikki and Ringo blushed as Akito gasped excitedly and bounced up and down in giddy amusement. Easily he latched onto his arm and rambled about how happy he was and started listing off all the fun things they could do that night.

The crow shot an apologetic look Ringo's way. No doubt the girl was feeling rather befuddled. Then he shot an evil glare towards Mikan. Lastly, when Akito looked up at him again, he made sure to smile. It wasn't that he didn't like being around the boy. He honestly enjoyed having quality time with his friends, and with Akito, but the way Akito so openly blabbed rather suggestive things without knowing it, or the way he stole hugs and kisses like it was normal… it was all a little overwhelming sometimes, when given in large enough doses.

Sometimes Ikki even wondered if it really was just innocent affection, or if Akito _knew_ the things he was implying about Ikki. He obviously had to quarrels about his own sexuality, but as far as assuming Ikki was the same… Well, for that, Akito was either very oblivious, or very clever.

"I… guess we could go out for ice cream or something," Ikki slowly started to crumble under the pressure, shoulders slumping when he realized Akito wasn't going to let up. Besides that, he really did need to get out a little bit more.

"Maybe you two can share a cone," Mikan smirked devilishly, eyes narrowed in mischief. Ikki jerked his head towards her, enraged, mouth already forming some nasty comeback when Akito cut him off.

"Can we?" Akito asked innocently, tugging at Ikki's sleeve, eyes sparkling with the idea.

"Let's just go," he muttered, taking a hold of Akito's sleeve and heading for the door. Mikan was, once again, laughing after him. All the crow could do was grind his teeth.

Once outside and away from that she-devil, Akito slid his hand into Ikki's, quickly lacing his fingers through the other boy's before Ikki had a chance to prevent it. Ikki sighed heavily, eyes sliding to the side every now and again to make sure no one he knew saw him holding hands with the boy. If he pulled his hand away it might just cause a scene. It was bad enough dealing with shit in his own home. All the girls at school swooned at the thought of them living under one roof. And then they voice their stupid little fantasies, making Akito blush and thus, making it all seem true.

It was all just some messed up cycle, really.

But Akito was a good guy with a good heart. A good friend and a good member of their team with perception skills to be envious of... And once you got past the homo quirks, he was really fun to be around. And yeah, Ikki would admit that Akito could be cute at times, just not so much when it's directed at him. Girls loved it, while the boys fumed over it because boys are not meant to act that way. As shallow as Ikki thought it sounded, he didn't want to be thrown into that category because of the way Akito acted towards him.

Of course, with being around Akito so much, things like that didn't seem all too abnormal anymore.

Akito pulled him a little faster once the ice cream was in sight. Ikki turned up a small smile. Such a simple thing like ice cream was a good (and tasty, mind you) way to get your mind off of everything for a while. For instance, Ringo seemed to be a little more skittish around him for reasons he couldn't place. Mikan's jokes were growing more frequent. Iron Clock was nagging at him every chance he got and was starting to give him a headache with all his interfering. Kazu's behavior was shifting into something he didn't recognize. And of course Ikki would never forget about his night in the alleyway. He was sure that crap wasn't over with yet.

In retrospect, ice cream didn't cover all of that. But if anything, it was a good start.

Ikki shook his head to clear his thoughts, realizing that they were standing in front of the counter, and that Akito had already ordered and it was his turn.

"Oh, sorry. Uhhh… banana split, I guess."

His dug his hands into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. As he grabbed a few bills he noticed Akito's face narrowing in thought. The crow didn't even have to ask before Akito voiced his thoughts.

"Maybe that's what I should have gotten…" the small boy mumbled softly, holding his vanilla cone with one hand and tapping his lip thoughtfully with his other. Then, without even asking, and Ikki wondered how he didn't see it coming until after it was over with, Akito leaned over and stole a lick from Ikki's banana split. Ikki blinked, taken aback for a moment before he pulled his cup away defensively.

"This one's mine. You got yours."

This, of course, only made the boy feel guilty right after the words left his mouth. The expression Akito was making now was the kind of thing that made girls swoon, and people like him, frown.

"Eh, sorry. Why don't you grab an extra spoon and we can split it down the middle?"

Akito agreed eagerly, and to Ikki's relief, didn't mention the obvious pun that they were splitting and banana split. The crow rolled his eyes and shook his head lightly as he paid the man at the counter. Akito was quick to arm himself with a spoon and was even quicker to sit himself close enough to touch arms with Ikki. He dug right into the banana split, humming his approval with the first spoonful.

"Ikki, why are there strawberries in a banana split?"

"Huh?" Ikki mumbled, letting the current ice cream in his mouth melt. "I dunno."

After that question Ikki honestly pondered, why _were_ there strawberries in a banana split? Akito plucked one with his fingers and dropped it into his mouth.

"Now I'll taste like strawberries!" he said proudly, puckering his lips and fluttering his lashes. He even stole a kiss before Ikki could back away. It was quick and subtle, but it _did_ taste like strawberries. Ikki blinked.

"What was that for?" he asked, rather calmly.

"Because I wanted to!"

"Because you wanted to," Ikki mimicked idly, looking off to the side. "Of course. But _why?_"

Akito giggled.

"Why _not_?"

And then the small boy continued to enjoy his ice cream. Ikki stopped eating – well now let's take a look at that statement. _Because I wanted to. Why not? _Was it really that simple? Do something just because you want to? Technically, Ikki thought, you didn't need a reason to do much of anything.

It wasn't long before Ikki realized that Akito was staring at him with wide eyes. Ikki got his question out before the other could.

"So like… what are you thinking when you do that stuff?" Now was just as good a time as any to bring up such a matter. Akito giggled again, smiling big and scooting even closer.

"Ikki," Akito cooed, as if the answer was just so obvious and he was a fool for not seeing it. "When you're curious about something, you're supposed to explore it. That way you won't be curious anymore. You're never curious about it? About anything?"

Ikki could only stare. For a long, long while. Long enough that Akito wasn't sure Ikki would ever answer. Long enough that the ice cream had melted around the strawberries and bananas.

Akito always had a way with words. Always had a way of making Ikki think about things in a new light. He could easily tell that Akito was questioning him on how he felt about… _them_, as an item. He was trying to see if he ever thought about it. 'Coz if he _was_ curious, he should just do something about it. And when he really looked at it, it was a really good way to look at it. After all, you never know until you do something to change it. You can't have an opinion about something that you've never done.

So with Akito always trying to move in on him and sneaking kisses and crawling into his bed, why hadn't he given it that much thought? Just ignoring it didn't mean that it wasn't there. And granted, if he wasn't curious about anything before, he certainly was _now_.

Of course, if word of that got out to anyone, he would deny it.

After all, if it were up to him, Ikki would never even allow himself to question such a thing as precious as his sexuality. But Akito, as usual, was right. If something is there and you are curious, then do something about it. Right now, he wondered if taking action would make or break all the flirting that Akito had done up till now. If he would confirm his masculinity or bring even more questions upon himself. He was a little afraid of the latter.

Ikki reached out, slowly. He wasn't even sure what he was doing. But he knew that his hand was inching towards the bottom of Akito's shirt, and that Akito's face was filled with surprise and shock. His big eyes followed Ikki's hand, unsure what to do, what to say, what to think. And then Ikki's hand found its way up Akito's shirt, his fingers ghosting over the smaller boy's skin.

Akito let out a small laugh, startling Ikki and making the crow jump. Once his nerves settled, he brought his other hand over, and lifted Akito's shirt up, pushing him onto his back in the process.

Strangely, Ikki didn't feel repulsed at himself, like the way he expected to. He didn't feel like anything going on here was wrong, just different. In fact, he felt a surge of something unfamiliar. It egged him on, making him smooth his hands over Akito a little bit more, forcing his mind to race with too many thoughts at once.

He did jerk his hands back though, holding them up in the air as if surrendering, when he realized where they were. They were in public – how could he forget? People were starting to form a crowd around them, watching them in some sort of fascination.

But out of all the eyes, Akito's were the ones that caught him. They were wide and longing, gazing into his own. It was like he was questioning the crow, silently asking and pleading that it was all real. That Ikki had just given into curiosity and explored the possibilities.

Akito had to be honest with himself. He wasn't expecting it. Regardless of some of the crowd still gathered around them, Akito puckered his lips and closed his eyes. Perhaps after all those little chaste kisses, this one could be the one he was waiting for. The one where Ikki would return it, with feeling. But to his disappointment, Ikki placed a hand over his ever so ready lips, and gently pushed him back.

"Sorry. No," the crow said quietly, starting to feel really uncomfortable with all those eyes on them like they were some show for the public. Granted, he had started it all but that didn't make them any less annoying. He shot Akito an apologetic look as he grabbed his sleeve and, leaving their unfinished ice cream behind, left the scene.

As he trudged back home, his mind began to wonder into places he wished it wouldn't. For instance, Iron's words were beginning to make a lot more sense. After all, was it really being perverted, or was it something else? Something like… honesty and straightforwardness. Or having no shame in who you were and what you liked. In a way all of that was admirable.

No… no. Ikki bit his bottom lip and picked up the pace. Whatever it was, whoever was right, Iron would always be a pervert.

--

* * *

--

For some reason, when Ikki and Akito had gotten back, ice cream was the farthest thing from his mind and Akito looked as though he thought things would lead to other things once they were home. But Ikki had too much to think about. Another thing that baffled the crow; Kazu hadn't come home that night, and now that it was Monday morning and he was sitting in class, he couldn't help but wonder why Kazu hadn't shown up for class either.

…Which led him to ask himself why the other boy would disappear like that without informing anyone of his whereabouts, or if he was avoiding him for some reason or another. But why would he do that?

That boy was just leaving him with unanswered questions left and right.

And although he had much more important things to worry about, his growing issues with Kazu were what occupied his mind today. As well as Emiri, expectedly, but what else was new. The girl sat staring at the empty seat with a look of longing in her large eyes. She would sigh every few minutes.

Ikki sighed upwards, blowing his bangs out of the way and letting them rebelliously fall back into place. He lazily placed his chin into his hands and let his eyes droop. The nights had gotten longer, or perhaps he'd just had that much more trouble sleeping. It felt like even though he already had enough to deal with, more kept on piling onto his plate.

For instance, along with the usual, Akito had steered his brain into previously unexplored territory, and Kazu had not only ceased to talk to him since the other day, but had fallen off the face of the planet.

The 'usual'… Hmm. He didn't want things like homicides and questioning himself to be a daily occurrence. But without taking any action, that was slowly what they were becoming.

Ikki squeezed his fists a little. How frustrating. It was times like this that he was thankful their teacher was so scatterbrained. She never noticed when her students weren't paying attention, or she just didn't care, too concerned about other, unrealistic things. Even when she did, she never had it in her to raise her voice or confront anyone. To put it simply, she was a pushover, and Ikki took advantage of it this day, sliding his eyes over to the side to stare out the window and run the same questions through his head over and over again.

He didn't have to look over to the other students. He could _feel_ Ringo's worried eyes on him. He wished she would stop being so overly concerned. It only gave him more to deal with in the long run. Not that he didn't appreciate it.

When the bell rang, it startled Ikki. He shook his head to clear it and followed the shuffling of students as they filed out of the room. Ringo lingered behind the crowd with him, walking alongside him once they were in the hall. Ikki flung his bag over his shoulder and eyed the girl.

"Well?"

"Well what?" she blinked.

"I know you wanna ask. Go ahead."

Ringo bit her lip in slight embarrassment. Was she that predictable? "Alright, fine," she said. "What's on your mind today?"

"More like what isn't?" Ikki blabbed, perhaps a little too quickly. There was no use hiding that something was distracting him today – anyone with half a brain could see it. Still, he wasn't sure why he was letting Ringo pry into him so easily. Quickly, he tried to save himself. "There's just a lot going on. I'll be fine."

Still, Ringo kept walking next to him, onto the sidewalk. Her hands were folding in front of her, her fingers fiddling over one another in nervousness.

"Is this about that night when you… you know…"

"What, with the police?" The crow perked his head up a little bit. He could tell Ringo was reluctant to bring it up, thinking it was a rather touchy subject. It wasn't touchy, per se, but it _was _sitting in his mind amongst everything else. Mikan was probably still pissed at him for dragging the police into something that could put Storm Riders at risk. And he hadn't even heard much of anything about it in a few days, which was both unnerving and a relief. "I wouldn't think too hard about it."

"Is that really all?"

Ikki laughed a little. "Nothing I can't take care of by myself. Thank you, Ringo."

Ringo smiled at the boy. Ikki seemed a little more willing than usual to open up to her, and that was a good sign. She couldn't wait for the day when he felt fully comfortable sharing his problems, his issues, his life, with her. And until that day came, she was willing to wait.


	11. Wrap Around

**A/N: **Sorry for the long wait. I'm back in college and a lot of my time has been devoted to school work. I'm trying to bring my GPA up so I can study abroad in Japan next year (wish me luck!) I'll still be working on this story, and others, but updates might be slower due to school (that's why this one took so long!)

Anyway, those of you who offered to do fanart, by all means just go for it! Make sure I get to see it though, hehe, I would be estatic! I love you all so much, your comments and critisims and love keep me going! Thank you all so much!

I always seem to miss some grammar issues as well, so please try to overlook them for me. My apologies in advance!

I don't know if I like this chapter. Just to cover my ass I'm going to say sorry if Ikki seems a little OOC. I warned you! But either way, yay for Ikkazu hints!

I'm going to try to make these 'thank yous' short, but... don't get your hopes up. Sorry but they've been taking up a lot of the page, know what I mean?

**Jade Mouse: **Did you get my response message? If you are still planning on drawing, I'm looking forward to seeing it! Thanks for the offer, by the way, and the review!

**Vilde0806: **Thank you! Being adored feels good, lol! I like to try and dig into character's feelings - glad you think I pulled it off!

**Arani: **I knew that a non-Kazu chapter would leave you dangling. For some reason, I have no issues seeing Onigiri and Yayoi together, ya know? And as for Kazu, well.. there's good and bad things. Read!

**ren'ai-iki: **sweet, innocent,e smexy Kazu is in this chapter so you get to find out, my dear! I will bribe you all I can for you to get writing. Hop to it, girly!

**DeyaGlenn: **Aww, I know it can be hard to watch your favorite character get hurt or dissapear. Hope the update satisfies!

**yuarshy: **Even though it's been a while since your review and my update, but welcome to the Air Gear fandom! I am happy to serve and feed your Ikki x Kazu lust!

**Emi Sue: **Oh, Emi Sue, you were too nervous to read it right away? How cute! Well I can promise you, you WANT to read this chapter!

**Blizzaris: **I always love getting reviews from you. So long and full of love! I'm way ahead of you - I had planned on filling this chapter full of Kazu to make up for the lack of him in the last chapter. After all, this is a Kazu centered fiction, and as a plus, this is not only a Kazu chapter, its an IkkiKazu chapter!

**E-san: **I know I know, my updates are getting longer, it seems. I'm sorry but keep reading. Your loyalty makes me so happy.

**shoxxic: **I haven't seen or heard anything from you in a while, my dear, I'm starting to worry about you! I hope seeing what happened to Kazu will bring you back to life! I miss you!

**Kals: **It's been a long time since Kazu was seen, I know. I will show him some mercy for you, or rather, Ikki will show him some love. Wanna see what I mean? Read on, dear reader, read on.

**SUPAxLinner: **I did, I did!

**LavenderShell: **Thank you! Sorry for the long time it took to update.

**iKat.13: **Sorry about that... But this chapter makes up for it, is a couple of ways! I think... I have to tortue my readers, or else they won't keep coming back, ya know?

**Jenova-chan: **The BEST? Thank you - of course there just is not enough out in the world, so I figured I'd start the trend. Enjoy!

WAITWAIT! The title is not what you think!

--

--

* * *

**Air Gear**

_a fiction by Crimson Vixen_

**Wrap Around**

* * *

--

--

He did _not_ want Ikki to see him like this. He did not want his leader to know he'd lost a race. He did not want his best friend to look down on him or worse, _pity_ him. He also did not want to lie about it to him, but how could it be avoided? After all, he didn't want to go back, but he had to, eventually.

Luckily, no one was there to greet him when he allowed himself to go back. He called out to confirm it as he quietly shut the front door behind him.

No Ikki, none of the girls, not even the pervert. He made his way to the bathroom to clean up best he could, looking into the mirror and feeling disgusted with himself. He wasn't fully able to meet his own eyes in his reflection, so he focused on everything else. It didn't make him feel all that better.

The left side of his face was a little swollen; a yellow stain of a fist marred his jaw, which still felt a little stiff. His right eye wouldn't open all the way and his face was a battleground of dirt and scratches, among other things. Old blood from a bloody nose was caked over his skin and a split lip taunted him, but as if that wasn't enough, his clothes were slightly torn. Amazingly, like always, his hat managed to survive another trial. It sat loose and rumpled on his head. He was afraid about what was on the parts of his body that he couldn't see. To put the icing on the cake, he needed a shower, _bad_. Walking around like that for a day or so really stunk a person up.

Kazu growled; he thought he'd left the bullying era behind him when Ikki threw his hands up and formed the next generation of the Eastside Guns.

Slowly, nervously, Kazu gripped the bottom of his shirt and started to lift it up. He forced himself to close his eyes so he wouldn't be tempted to look back into the mirror. He could already _feel_ the marks on his torso stretch when he lifted his arms over his head. He didn't want to _see_ them, too.

"…Hello?"

Kazu jerked his head to the door with a terrified look in his eyes. A deer in the headlights, he felt like, as he just stared at the wooden barrier that protected him from that female voice and the sound of the front door opening and closing. With little time to react, Kazu did the only thing he could think of… he locked the bathroom door. He couldn't go out looking like that, it'd be humiliating.

Go figure, Kazu huffed with his ear pressed against the door, that the footfalls of whoever was home came towards the bathroom and stopped just outside. There was a silence, then a very timid, unsure rap at the door.

"S-someone's in here!" Kazu responded hastily, regretting it immediately.

"Kazu!?" came the surprised counter. It was then that Kazu could identify the voice as Ringo's, concerned and surprised, and relieved, with good reason. He hadn't come home last night and never gave anyone any indication of where he was or what he was doing.

"Y…yeah, I'll be out in a minute!"

"Ka…Kazu! We've… We've all been so worried about you! Are you ok? What happened? Where have you been!?" She had to stop herself. She was going a mile a minute, and leaving the boy no time to answer any of the things she was asking. Her heart was pounding, relieved to know he was back, and that it would be a load off of Ikki's mind...

"Give me a minute!"

Ringo blinked. Why did he sound so frazzled? Feeling a little ashamed, she stood closer to the door and listened. Something about the boy's voice sounded off. Within a few seconds, she could hear the sink water running, then splashing right after that.

In the bathroom Kazu rubbed ferociously at his face, trying to clean the dried blood sticking to his skin and his hair, which he noticed was also a big knotted mess. He watched the small pool of water in the sink turn pink before swirling down the drain.

How was he going to go on hiding all of this? Even if he did manage to clean up nice it would do nothing for his clothes, for his bruises, the nasty dark circle around his eye, for his slight limp. He took a moment to rub at his right leg as memories flooded back into him. They weren't too happy to find a racer of his speed, and his leg had suffered for it. Luckily, it was just a warning.

He checked the room for towels so he could just take a damn shower but he didn't see any. Just his luck they'd all be dirty when he needed them. And something told him Ringo was still standing on the other side of the door, just waiting.

And Ringo, hearing all the rustling and splashing, grew even more curious and anxious. She felt like she had been worrying about a lot of things lately, but at the same time, felt like it was justified.

"Uhm… Ka-"

"I'm just cleaning up!" Kazu shouted a little harshly. The girl bit her bottom lip. It felt wrong to just walk away, not when Kazu had been technically missing and then suddenly found. Yet she forced herself to respect his wishes, and had turned to leave just as she heard a crash and a prolonged curse.

"Kazu?" she tried nervously, still blushing bright red and once again trying to listen through the door. "Are… are you sure everything's alright?"

Kazu was sure on some days, Ringo's concern was commendable, cute, but not today. He growled from his position on the floor, having tripped in his frantic rush to get cleaned up. Bottles and other toiletries littered the floor around him. Trying not to curse too loudly, he began throwing things back into place. His eyes were beginning to sting in pure frustration, and his rising anger only made him clumsier.

"Uhm…"

Kazu froze when he heard Ringo mumbling quietly on the other side. She sounded shy and unsure, but spoke anyway.

"…You were gone for a while," she said, now resting her forehead against the door. "I don't mean to bother you or anything Kazu, but… It's just that Ikki was really starting to get worked up, even if he tried to hide it. I'm just… I wanted you to know that I'm glad you're alright. And... I'm sure Ikki will be, too."

Kazu thinned his lips and continued his clean up without giving a response. Ringo's concern made him feel all the more guilty, even if most of her concern for _him _extended from her concern for _Ikki_. He wasn't sure why it bothered him. Maybe he was just too occupied and flustered to be thankful.

He rushed through undressing himself all the way, careful to watch his footing this time, and tenderly stepped into the shower. The water was hot and burned his skin but in a way it was soothing to him, so he let it drench his sore body. He scrubbed himself thoroughly, shampooed his hair at least three times to make sure he cleaned it out as much as he could. When he was done, he threw his ripped sweatshirt around his waist like a towel – he hated how dirty it was but it was the only thing he had at the moment – and briskly scrubbed at the tub with his fingers to erase any evidence of blood and dirt.

He then took a deep breath and stared at the bathroom door. His fist tightened around his sweatshirt and he grit his teeth.

The door flung open and before he could even take his first step, he froze in place when he saw Ringo sitting against the opposite wall, just waiting, apparently, hands looped around her folded knees. Her head shot up at the sound of the door opening and Kazu swiftly marched towards the stairs, hoping that holding a hand up over his face wouldn't look as stupid as it felt. Ringo gasped regardless, from the sight or from surprise he didn't know, though it was nothing he didn't expect.

"Wait!" she shouted loudly, and against his will, Kazu listened.

He kept his back turned, practically _felt_ her staring at him and his tattered clothing, the marks that littered his once smooth back, thinking the questions he prayed she wouldn't voice.

Struck with a fear of being looked down upon, Kazu said the first thing that came into mind.

"It doesn't matter what happened. The important thing is, I'm back," he muttered. Then, he added, "I'm sorry." As if it covered for his disappearance and all the grief he may have caused.

Of course when he thought about it, he knew that avoiding the eyes of his friends today didn't mean he could keep doing it. A black eye, a limp… things like that rarely went unnoticed. But that wasn't the point. His words to Ringo were a silent request. One that wanted to keep it from Ikki anyway, for as long as he was able to. At least until he was able to break it to him himself. He only hoped Ringo would do this for him. If anything, he was happy she didn't try to stop him when his legs were able to move again, and he rushed upstairs.

She was sure Kazu didn't want news to travel fast about this, but Ringo was determined to inform Ikki of the return of his friend. Ikki had been silently fussing over it and deserved to know Kazu was finally home. With an apology of her own slipping out under her breath, she pulled out her cell phone.

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* * *

--

--

Ikki wasn't sure if he was furious or not. Maybe he was just thankful in a way he hadn't felt before. Whatever it was, he was racing home, hand still tucked into his pocket and clutching at his phone. When he got home, he strutted straight up to a pacing Ringo, finding that he didn't have many words to share.

"Where?"

Ringo jumped at his directness and pointed towards the staircase. Her brows furrowed at his strange cold behavior when she answered.

"In your room…" she mentioned softly. She had to bite her tongue to keep herself from telling the boy exactly what she'd seen, even though she was sure Ikki would find out all on his own by the end of the night. She watched as Ikki treaded up the stairs with a bitter expression, hand clutching tightly at the railing. Even out of her sights, she was startled when she heard a pound on a door and Ikki yelling.

"It's _my_ room so you _better_ let me in!" the crow shouted, then quietly, right next to the door so only Kazu could hear, added, "I'm really not in the mood for this."

Not a minute later, there was the click of a lock and Ikki was able to step inside.

"Could you please shut the door behind you?"

Ikki did so. Then felt around for the switch.

"Why are the lights off?"

"No, don – !!"

Too late. The lights flicked on. Kazu quickly cupped his hands over his face. Oh, he'd never felt so embarrassed in all his life.

It wasn't hard to see something was wrong either way, and Ikki tried to let his bad mood slide.

Tenderly, slowly, the crow reached for Kazu's wrists and eased his hands down, revealing ashamed blue eyes that refused to look directly back at him, and a dark ring around one of them.

"You probably think I'm pathetic," the blonde spoke up immediately, attempting to break the tension, feeling uneasy with Ikki's eyes on him and his own eyes everywhere else. Ikki's brows lowered, almost dangerously.

"What the hell have you been doing?"

Ikki instantly linked Kazu's discolored face and averted gaze to his strange behavior over the past few days. Not that he was able to make complete sense of it all just yet. All he knew right now was that Kazu looked exhausted and battered, and wearing _his_ clothes - a sweatshirt and shorts - and that they were a bit too big on him.

Kazu raised his fingertips to the tender flesh of a rather ugly bruise by his temple as if he were reminiscing. He winced when his skin protested and he twitched his fingers back. Telling Ikki would only make him look worse than he already did. The crow was already uncomfortable letting Kazu fight without him around. He wasn't sure he could handle Ikki having no faith in him.

"It's not as bad as it looks," he growled defensively, turning his head to the side. God this was hard.

"How good or bad it looks isn't important," Ikki argued. He reached out and grabbed the blonde by the chin, forcing Kazu's head to turn back, ignoring the grimace he made, too focused on the matter at hand. "What _is_ important is _why_."

"Does it really matter?" Kazu tried, perhaps a little too hard, determined to escape this, fruitless as he knew it was.

The crow let out a sigh, not even trying to hide how unfooled he was. He took a hold of Kazu's arms at the elbows and held firmly.

"You know it does."

Huh… Kazu had a hard time recalling Ikki acting this attentive before. At least not towards him. Was this how the crow worried about people he cared for? Kazu couldn't help cracking a small smile, unsure as to why.

"Don't dissapear on me, come back and then act like nothing happened," Ikki growled, and Kazu's smile vanished in an instant, keeping his eyes to the side. No matter how this ended he didn't think he'd like it. The blonde blinked heavily, biting at his lip when he could sense Ikki looking at the discolored skin around his eye. He gasped when Ikki rolled up the sleeves that were covering the bruises along his arm. He could hear Ikki sigh through his nose, a noise that sounded rather disappointed, at least to Kazu's ears.

"Someone grabbed you," Ikki said softly, a statement more than a question. He easily put his fingers onto the bruises, and it was all too simple to see that someone with larger hands had gripped him there. Then he ever so gently cupped the side of Kazu's face to get a better look at his eye. His dark eyes captured Kazu's light ones for a brief moment and he seized the opportunity. "Where were you last night?"

Kazu swallowed with difficulty.

"At the fence."

That said, Ikki's brows shot up to his hairline.

"Again?" the boy nearly growled. "You and that fucking fence… Why there?"

Great, Kazu gritted his teeth. This is exactly what he didn't want. Ikki was acting like an overprotective parent and it wasn't very becoming.

"I didn't want you to see."

"But I see you now," Ikki countered. "And I don't like you hiding shit like this from me. So last night, fence... Ok. What about before that?"

Of course Ikki would want to know… But how could Kazu explain himself? _The fence and I got into a tiff and I lost?_

The more time went by, the worse Kazu felt. After all, Ikki was right. Ikki was always right. All he was doing was feeling sorry for himself and spending all his time at the fence wasn't helping. But as much as the fence helped him, giving him a place to think and all, it didn't do anything for _Ikki_, and _that_ was more upsetting.

"Sorry, man. I didn't mean to piss you off."

"I'm not-" the crow started and then stopped when he realized he should lower his voice. "I'm not pissed off. I just -- !? Man, we're supposed to be best friends."

"We are, but... Dude come on. Look at me - this is embarrassing for me."

"Okay, just… okay." The crow let his shoulder droop a little. Embarrassing, yeah, ok, he could understand that much. "Why are you wearing my clothes, anyway?"

"My clothes are downstairs. Forgot to grab them," Kazu hummed, pulling out something white and battered with a small grin. "'Cept for my hat. Didn't wanna go back down and…"

"Ringo," Ikki nodded, expression still dark and angry, hands still clutching at Kazu's elbows. Briefly he had to admit that Kazu looked good in his clothes, or maybe it was just baggy clothes in general. Quickly the crow shook his head – why on earth would he even bother with such thoughts? – and, in spite of himself, let himself laugh, and he let his hands finally drop to his side.

"Long as you're in one piece, dude."

Kazu forced himself to smile, knowing full well that this was far from over. Ikki wasn't happy, no. But this is what Ikki did when he doesn't know how to show certain relief. He laughs. Kazu laughed with him and when their awkward laughter died down, a grumbling sound was left slicing the silence.

Ikki gave him a look, and Kazu place his hands over his stomach to cease the growling but to no avail. During all the commotion from the race to now, he had forgotten to eat, and was simply famished. He looked to Ikki apologetically, already comfortable with meeting the crow's gaze because when Ikki looked back at him, he wasn't even aware of the disfiguring black eye, just his eyes.

Just him.

"I'll be right back," the crow promised as he left the room, leaving Kazu in the dark to fall back onto the bed with a gigantic sigh. He let his eyes drift shut – ok so it wasn't as hard and ego-crushing as he had originally thought it was, but it was still difficult to let Ikki see him like that. His reaction wasn't like he expected, though he wasn't entirely sure _what_ he was expecting.

In the dark, eyes closed, body aching and screaming for rest, it didn't take long for him to start drifting off to sleep. He was almost there when Ikki's voice broke through to him.

"I'm turning on the light, ok?"

"Hmm? I'd rather you didn't…"

But Ikki flipped it anyway, with his elbow, as his hands were full. Kazu blinked; had Ikki brought him food? The aroma of ramen made his stomach growl loudly and the jet shrunk back a little. He didn't have to do _that _for him…

"Careful, it's hot," Ikki warned, handing him the bowl and a pair of chopsticks. Kazu didn't like feeling so helpless… but he was hungry! And it wasn't really being 'helpless' if you didn't ask for the help in the first place, right? He gratefully thanked him for the meal and started slurping noodles. "I'll make more if that's not enough."

As he swallowed burning hot broth, Kazu licked his lips and tried his best to offer Ikki a genuine smile. The crow really was concerned for him, and it was strange how much it was showing. As he continued eating, he hardly even noticed Ikki crawl onto the bed and sit behind him. He choked a little on his noodles but managed to forced them down.

"Ikki?"

"Shut up and eat," the crow mono-toned. "I'm patching you up. Don't think we're done, either."

Kazu forced the next mouthful down his throat. He figured as much. Ikki never let things like this go just like that. Flattering, though, to know that someone like the crow was thinking about you – made you feel... _special_.

_Stupid, _Kazu thought to himself. _Stupid to be thinking that way. He's my friend, of course he would think about me._

Kazu blushed.

_Think about me._

Then he sneezed.

"Cover your mouth."

"Sorry."

The bed where he was sitting sunk a little and it took a second to gather that Ikki's knees where on either side of him. Ikki was just behind him.

This was certainly awkward. Kazu sat slouched on Ikki's bed, eyes glued to the floor and empty bowl set aside. Everything that Ikki had being doing for him so far felt, for lack of better words, unreal, and it was taking a while to let everything soak in. He had plenty of time to think about it though, while Ikki tried to fix him up. He sat there with his hands folded in front of him, Ikki's body heat close at his back. He was quite capable of taking care of himself, Kazu figured, but Ikki was obviously insisting, and Kazu didn't dare try to make him do otherwise.

The crow slid Kazu's dirtied hat off his head, pushing the blonde locks aside to look for damage on his head. Every second that ticked by that he looked over his friend's battered body, the more furious he became. Kazu should have called on him! Should have let him help! Ikki gritted his teeth momentarily and then refocused on what he was doing. The way he was digging through Kazu's hair almost made the blonde fall asleep, it felt so good.

When he saw no damage underneath all that thick hair, he asked, just to make sure.

"Did you hit your head anywhere?"

Kazu hummed as he thought back, trying to replay the fight in his head. There was one point when he fell backwards and hit the back of his head against the concrete. That was about it.

"Yeah," he said quietly, pointing to the base of his skull and lowering his head to give Ikki a better view. He had a hard time finding his voice tonight. It was too hard to sound like he wasn't humiliated.

Ikki parted Kazu's hair in the back until he caught site of the small gash, grimacing at how hard he must have hit to leave such a mark. He turned to gather some bandages and starting wrapping it around the blonde's head. When he was done, he made Kazu outstretch his arms.

"Those bruises will go away on their own but I want to take care of those cuts," Ikki mentioned, smearing what felt like some soothing aloe on the red mounds that streaked across his arms before wrapping them, too.

"Ikki," Kazu barked suddenly. "I don't want to be a mummy by the time you're done."

He turned slightly, looked up to Ikki's face, taken aback by the crow's lack of response. His eyes looked dull, zombie-like, like he wasn't paying attention or just didn't have it in him to retaliate. After a moment, his features darkened and he spat in a low voice.

"Shut up."

Eye immediately drawn back to the floor, Kazu zipped the lip and let Ikki finish the job on his arms. Ikki's hands were warm and surprisingly soft.

"Where else?"

"Uhm," Kazu uttered, practically afraid to speak now. He'd never heard his friend speak in such a tone before and quite frankly, it was terrifying. "My… my back."

Without another word, Ikki scooted closer behind Kazu, his breath nearly on Kazu's ear. The blonde stiffened in surprise when Ikki lightly placed his fingers atop his shoulder blades and glided them down to his vertebrae, ghosting them over the marks that had been carved into him. Nothing too deep. Nothing that wouldn't go away on its own with time, but still hard to look at. Ikki wanted to wrap them up anyway, regardless of Kazu accusing him of being too wrap-happy.

Because he didn't want to have to see them.

Thankfully, this time when he pulled out the bandages, Kazu raised his arms to make it easier, and kept his mouth shut obediently. His head hung low the entire time, too tired to fight back, too ashamed to defy his team leader.

Ikki was surprisingly good at this. He seemed to know what he was doing as he slowly circled the roll around his torso, arms grazing his sides now and again, head hovering just over the crook of Kazu's neck. When he was done, the bandages weren't too loose or too tight. Even when he took a deep breath, he didn't feel constricted.

"Any more?"

Off the top of his head, Kazu could mention a few other areas that were sore and scraped, but nothing serious and nothing that he wanted Ikki to be worried about. Certainly he didn't want anymore wrappings than he already had. But when Ikki squeezed his shoulder lightly, he couldn't stop himself.

"…My leg. The right one."

Ikki scuffled a little behind him and crawled off the bed, kneeling down in front of Kazu and taking a hold of his right leg by the ankle.

"Where exactly?" He asked.

Kazu blushed and clashed his knees together. He was in shorts, really baggy shorts. Baggy enough that if you really wanted to look, you could just... and sure they were both boys but… The jet blushed even harder. Luckily Ikki wasn't looking there, or at his face. He was too focused on his leg and looked positively _pissed_.

"U-uh…" the blonde mumbled, trying to mentally pinpoint the source of pain on his leg. He could feel his cheeks burn hot when he answered.

"Thigh."

He had to bite down and choke back a gasp when Ikki's hand rested gently on his knee and slowly started to slide upwards, further, further… His whole body tensed uncomfortably, teeth gnawing a little too hard on his chipped lip and causing it to bleed. Why did this feel so…

He didn't know how to describe it. Ikki didn't seem to think any of it was wrong or right or anything in between. It was innocent and platonic, and he was stupid for even _thinking _it was anything but! They were both straight after all. They'd seen each other's naked bodies, in gym showers and in bathrooms, but this was something different. Ikki's hand was crawling up his leg, inching up and under the shorts he was wearing. Kazu coughed suddenly, amazed that his brain was able to gather such thoughts. Perhaps the blow to his head was harder than he had assumed.

Once Ikki's hand reached a certain point on his thigh - which was... really high! - Kazu gasped painfully and jerked away, hissing through his teeth and feeling ashamed because of it. He gazed worriedly at Ikki, afraid of what he would think, what he would say, but the crow never looked back at him. He frowned deeply.

"So, right here?" he asked softly, pulling Kazu back and poking the same spot as before. This time Kazu was able to prevent himself from making any audible signs of pain.

"Yeah."

Ikki probed at it a little more. He wasn't a doctor, but as he pulled the fabric of the shorts back, he could see there was a gigantic, blue-black bruise there, the skin raised a little, and about the size of his hand. Annoyed, Ikki cursed. There was nothing he could do for that.

"How much does that bother you?"

And damn it all, Kazu, for some reason tonight, didn't have it in him to lie to Ikki. Not tonight, when the crow was wearing a face like that.

"A little."

"Anything else?"

Kazu shook his head, no.

He waited for Ikki to say something, anything to break that terrible silence that was threatening to eat him alive, but instead, the crow stood and made his way back onto the bed and reclaimed his spot behind him.

"Someone… Who did this?" Ikki growled, but Kazu didn't answer, just stared at the ground. Ikki didn't pry at him for it. He put his hands on either of Kazu's shoulders. Then the blonde felt Ikki rest his head against his back.

The jet was confused by this behavior, wasn't expecting it. Didn't know how to react to it. He inhaled deeply and then let it go, allowing Ikki his peace while he rested against him, and didn't even dare himself to question it.

"I can't believe you," he murmured against the skin Kazu's back. "I can't fuckin' believe you."

When Ikki finally pulled away, he swiftly crawled off the bed – as if he just couldn't make up his mind where to stay – and stopped at the door, hand resting on the handle. He bowed his head but slid his eyes over to the blonde.

"Like I said, those bruises will go away. So will the cuts if you leave them alone. As for your leg, just try to stay off of it for a little while. Try to take it easy."

Voice still feeling raw, Kazu could only nod. He was just about to summon up the wits to say something but Ikki had already left the room, shutting the door behind him. Seconds later, Kazu let out an agonized growl between his teeth, pounding a tender fist down onto his knee. He rested his head in his hands, fingers digging into his hair and threatening to disturb his fresh bandages, and tried to will the pain and stress away, with little avail. Not many things soothed him anymore. Not that stupid fence, not running – hell, right now, he didn't know if he could. At least, not as fast as he would like – and not his friends. All his mind could think about was what a wreck he must have looked like in front of a person like Ikki, and the race that he so derisorily lost, and most of his ego with it. Being in a state of such weakness was like a knife to his heart, leaving a mark so big, it would take more than Ikki's bandages to heal it.

The world was crumbling around him and he was falling with it. To add on to things, he was starting to pull Ikki into a place he didn't deserve to be. He knew Ikki was angry, he knew Ikki was upset, and he didn't know how he was going to forgive himself knowing that he was the cause of it. He had set out to prove himself and ended up disappointing the very person he sought out to impress. Kazu shook his head while still in his hands. Oh what a mess. So damn irritating!

Maybe he really _was_ just a worthless asset.

Something bubbled in his chest and he reached out and yanked a pillow to his chest. Taking a deep breath he pressed his face deep into the feathery piece of fabric and pushed out a muffled scream.

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Ikki leaned against the door for a while after he shut it. There weren't enough words in existence to explain what he was feeling. Or he just didn't know _what _he was feeling. Relief? Well, yeah. Rage? Guilt? Probably. Was there something else..?

The crow shook his head violently to clear his thoughts. How could Kazu go out and do something so stupid without him? Alright, he didn't know for sure what Kazu had done, just that it had landed him in a state that obviously mortified him. Ikki knew it was hard for the blonde to endure the check up he was just given, but somehow he must have felt how important it was to him. But Ikki just couldn't let go of how uncomfortable he was feeling seeing his friend like that, and not knowing _how _or _why, _and then feeling angry with himself for not being there to prevent any of it.

When he lifted his head he was almost startled when he saw someone standing there. Waiting out in the hall stood little Akito, arms resting at his sides and brows creased with concern. "Ikki-kun," he whined, and Ikki forced himself to look directly at him.

"Yeah?"

Akito fidgeted for a moment before finally saying in a small voice. "Maybe, you should… I mean, shouldn't Kazu-kun go to a hospital? Or at least the doc-"

"I'm taking care of it just fine," Ikki cut in dangerously, feeling unnecessarily offended. All Kazu needed was some rest and then he would be _fine_. He turned his back before he said something he would later regret, and padded down the stairs, leaving Akito alone in the hall with a quivering lower lip, and Kazu mutely cursing himself in his room.


	12. Kiss and Tell

**A/N: gosh, PLEASE READ THIS!!! **

We have a problem and that problem is me! This chapter has been done for a while now, but I haven't uploaded it because there's something horrible about it that I can't put my finger on. It's such a badly written chapter and I'm ashamed to post it and you guys have been so amazing to me and sending me love and encouragement that I'm afraid of dissapointing you all! You and your reviews mean the world to me, so I wanted to make this chapter up to standards but I think I may have failed. I tried, regardless, but before you start flaming me, I'm aware that there's something about this chapter that just doesn't sit right. I don't know - mind you I'm still looking for my muse. I think that might be playing a part...

I guess, heh, I'm just trying to apologize ahead of time if this chapter is... iffy. Perhaps a bit OOC, which I hate, but I've been writing and rewriting and playing with this chapter for so long, but if I don't post it then there's no way the story can continue. Try to be gentle with this ugly chapter and ignore all the jumps it makes. x.x wah ! I posted this because I can't seem to fix it anymore and I know you all want Ikki and Kazu to finally wise up and make love, yes? I thought so. I do too.

**Warnings: **badly written chapter, possible OOC (for Ikki mainly), parts seeming to move fast.. Me _always _seeming to miss some sort of spelling error oo There's mention of a beach. I can't recall if they live near one but.. just work with me here on this, geez

**THANK YOU!**

Real quick, I wanna send a thanks out to Kitten chan for drawing me wonderful fan art!! Please, if you go to my page, I have links to her beautiful fan art. You should go check them out and leave her comments. Here's one inspired by Folly and Sin chapter 11 - - **http:// kitten - chan (dot) deviantart (dot) com /art/ airgear - overprotective - 69422766**

And **DO **make sure to check out the rest of her art (there's more AG stuff in there if you look and please do so!) and leave her your best reviews!

**http:// kitten - chan (dot) deviantart (dot) com**

And I've had more offerins to do fanart (feels soooo loved). By all means people, you do not need my permission. You may do as you please - I'll be flattered no matter what you decide to do.

Ok, also due to Kitten chan's kindness, the last chapter of Folly and Sin got twice as many reviews as normal (and they're still comin'! We're in the triple digits!) so if I took the time to thank each reviewer, we would never get to the story. So I'm sorry everyone, for not individually thanking you but you're kindness is not being ignored ! Thank you so much to all the reviewers that have been reading and supporting this story, even when I as the writer am fretting over the quality. You guys are loved by the deepest depths of my heart!

Thats 'nuff babbling, don't you think? ' On with the story! (gulp)

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**Air Gear**

_a fiction by Crimson Vixen_

**Kiss and Tell**

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"You don't…" Kazu tried to say at first, but then stopped to make a face. He shifted himself on the couch. Emiri was running around like a madwoman, gathering blankets for him, making him snacks to eat, bringing him magazines and the TV guide. She even managed to find a place for everything around him, within arms reach. Once she settled down in front of him, sitting on the coffee table, Kazu was able to get it out. "You don't have to do all this."

In fact, it was making him uncomfortable. He wasn't used to being served on hand and foot. Several times he had tried to tell her that he wasn't bedridden by any means, or couchridden for that matter, but the girl would have nothing of it.

He stared at the chicken noodle soup that she had so kindly made for him, - _homemade_, even – but he had to draw the line when she scooped some up in a spoon for him and waited for him to open his mouth. He tried to let her down as gently as he could.

"I can do that part myself, really," he forced a smile, feeling guilty already when Emiri shrank back a little. Why did girls take everything so personally?

"Oh, Kazu-sama," she whined. "I'm sorry. I'm just so upset about what happened, I…"

She stopped herself when she saw the look on her crush's face. Kazu was obviously in no mood to talk about, let alone even _hear_ about his 'condition' or anything related. However, she just couldn't help herself. Seeing the blonde look so vulnerable struck a chord in her, and her womanly instincts told her to take care of the boy, and even though he thanked her for her concern, he was being rather resistant of her help. He was a boy, after all, and boys had pride and easily crushed egos.

But to her surprise, Kazu looked sympathetically into her determined eyes, and he let out a large, defeated sigh. "Fine, go for it," he said softly, parting his lips and holding his mouth open.

Emiri had to bite her tongue to keep herself from squealing, and held her breath to keep the butterflies in her stomach from flapping their wings too fast. Her hand shook as it held the stem of the spoon and brought it towards Kazu's waiting mouth. This was just the kind of thing she liked to day-dream about in her free time. Her, taking care of Kazu in all the ways she could think of, in sickness and in health, and Kazu, in turn, allowing her to do so.

Kazu closed his mouth around the spoon and let Emiri slide it back out. He swallowed the soup hard, letting the warmth slosh down his throat and spread to his belly, and slouched back into the couch. There was just too much running through his mind. It made it difficult to find his appetite.

He knew that Emiri was one of his biggest supporters. But what if she found out that there was another racer out there that was just as fast, if not faster than him? Perhaps he would lose her, too. Kazu licked his dry lips and flung a heavy arm over his face, trying to block those thoughts. Before losing that race, he hadn't fully thought about what would be at stake.

"Kazu-sama?"

"I'm fine. Would you mind if… I mean, I really need some time to myself right now."

"O-oh!" the girl exclaimed, blushing ferociously and standing up. "Of course!"

And as she was gathering things into her backpack, voices of Ringo and Yayoi started running through her head; their words telling her to tell Kazu about her feelings before it was too late. But no, she shook her head, now really wasn't the right time for that kind of thing. Surely he didn't want to have to deal with anything else right now. Still…

She left the soup sitting on the table just in case he felt like eating something later, and decided to leave the covers as well. Kazu could return them to her later when he was done using them. Everything else, she packed, and just before she turned to leave, she stared at the boy. Her legs were itching to move. Only she wasn't sure what direction to point them.

"Kazu-sama?" she whispered. Kazu must have heard her because he uncovered his face and looked back at her. Her words died in her mouth before she could even start, and instead said; "Get better soon. I'll see you later."

And in a burst of courage she never thought would grace her, she bent over the couch and pecked Kazu on the cheek. Then, not even allowing herself to view his reaction, she ran out of the house like the sprinter that she was.

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'Little Crow'

For some reason, Ikki would just melt at the way Simca said that little nickname. She knew how to move her body just right so Ikki couldn't take his eyes off of her. It didn't matter _what_ he felt or didn't feel, anybody would stare at a body _that_ fine. And stare he did.

"Simca, we have to stop meeting like this," Ikki blurted, half jokingly.

"Then why don't we meet another way?" Simca offered playfully, in a husky voice. Ikki was certainly intrigued. Though surprisingly not excited like he thought he would. Simca was a _beautiful_ lady, but the more he saw of her… the more bored he got with her. He wondered if that really made sense, or if it was shallow, but in the end, if he had to question himself, that was all the answer he really needed. After all, if he was growing bored with each meeting, well, that didn't say much for being in love… Infatuated, maybe.

_HA!_ Ikki mocked in his head. _What a joke – am I nuts? Millions of guys would jump at the chance to be with a girl like Simca._

So why wasn't he jumping?

Those boyish instincts kept kicking in and dragging him back. He was a dog by nature - all boys were, and Ikki was one of the doggiest. So then _why..._ A hard to reach lady like Simca flirting with him was a huge ego boost. He took her hand and pulled her towards the railing and sat her down on the ground, where they had a nice little view of the city beneath them.

He sat down next to her.

Hell, what was _love_, anyway?

Ikki peered over the edge to gaze at the city lights. He liked the view better at night, when all the streetlamps and random windows were lit. He licked his lips and slid his eyes to the side to look at Simca, who was boldly staring directly at him. In the next instant, he felt her delicate hand squeeze his gently.

Whatever his feelings were, that didn't say much for Simca's. There was a chance she really had a thing for him, and there was just as much a chance that she was using him for her own desires. There was no real clear cut way to find out and most boys wouldn't care if it meant something or not – not when they got to be next to a pretty thing like that – but frankly, Ikki didn't like being used. That was probably what was holding him back. Being toyed with and led one wasn't something that struck Ikki as _ok. _

"Simca," the crow sputtered. "What do you think love is?"

"That's a complicated question. How very deep of you, Crow."

Well girls liked deep guys, right? Ikki smiled a bit, well aware of how she avoided actually answering the question.

"That's not what I meant – ah?"

Simca had practically thrown herself at the boy, pinning him on the ground with her body, her hair falling around them and forming a curtain that separated them from the rest of the world. The boy couldn't _help _but smile devilishly at the feel of her soft breasts pushing against him. This is the kind of thing you see in the movies. The kind of thing that boys dream about. Isn't it?

"Love is attraction. So it really depends on what attracts a person." she said with a smile, leaning in and kissing him on the nose and then lightly on the lips before adding on personally; "For instance, I have a thing for power."

"I see," Ikki responded, sitting up and gently pushing her aside. "That's too bad."

He was proud of himself, but inside a part of him was crying out. Simca was on _top _of him and he pushed her away! But after putting two and two together – power equaled lust, lust didn't always equal love, Ikki wanted the girl to love him, not his status – he wasn't sure he really _wanted_ anything to happen. Well damn alright he _did _but at the same time, if it wasn't for the right reasons…

Ikki laughed a little to himself. He really had changed over the years. Girls would always be a mystery, though.

…This would still be a helluva lot easier if she wasn't so… _hot_! Part of the reason he was here was he wanted to let the girl know that it was going to be all or nothing, and if she didn't want to give it all into being with him, he didn't want to waste his time playing around with something that would never move forward. Ikki liked to progress and gain, and didn't like playing around with things that would never get him anywhere.

"You seem distracted."

Both of the teens were sitting in their previous places. Ikki rubbed at his nose.

God, it wasn't like he didn't _want_ to want her. It was just that… Ikki had learned over the years how to not lie to himself, even if that meant accepting a truth he didn't like. Heh, he may have picked that up from Kazu...

"You know, I've been hearing that a lot lately."

"You wanna talk about it?" the girl pleaded, running a hand up and down Ikki's bare arm, seeming to disregard her previous rejection. She crawled behind the boy and started rubbing at his shoulders. Ikki hated himself for relaxing into it so quickly. Why were girls so hard to turn away? "Oh, you're so tense."

That made sense. Images of dead bodies still jumped into his mind when he least expected it. His best friend was…

"Yeah well…" the boy sighed heavily. "I just wish there was an easy way to tell."

"When you're in love?" Simca giggled. "If it were easy, we'd all get it right the first time."

Well, Ikki mentally shrugged, that was one of the more sensible things that Simca had said to him all night, and he thought about it for a while. He also questioned if a seductive girl such as her had ever actually been _in_ love herself. Or if she always fell in love with the _idea_ of beding in love with someone.

"How do _you_ normally tell?"

"If you're asking me what love it, it's hard to classify," she responded, moving her hands further down his back to rub at the base of his spine. "There's love between family, and between close friends. There's love between a man and his career or between a person and whatever God he chooses to believe in. There's an endless list of ways to love somebody."

"But I'm talking about…"

"I know," Simca breathed into his ear. Her hands found their way under his shirt and she wrapped her arms fully around him and rested her head on his shoulder. "But little Crow, if you are looking for true love defined, your lover should feel like your best friend. Someone you feel comfortable with and you would do any and all things for them, even if that means putting their happiness before your own."

Ikki blinked. Simca was making a lot of sense, like she'd given it prior thought. Her answers were unexpected and… meaningful, even if she was hitting on him in the process. Made him think.

"Why?" she pried, running her hands up his chest and down again. Ikki shuddered and eased himself away from her touch. Words could not even begin to explain how difficult it was. Her fingers were so soft and delicate, and knew just what to do to give a guy goose bumps. "Do you think you've found love?"

"No," Ikki answered quickly. "I've just been thinking about it."

"I see."

And they both were silent after that, both staring out at the city, lights casting a glow like the buildings were burning in a harmless fire. Ikki looked over to Simca yet another time, and smiled weakly.

His heart was beating at a normal pace; his hands were dry and smooth. He felt no apprehension threatening to eat him alive. Not like when he first met her. Maybe he was just used to her, but her closeness no longer made him nervous.

And sure she had faith in him and the things he could accomplish, but was she in love with him?

All of his thinking was starting to spoil his night. Somehow, his magical nights out with Simca the Swallow had turned out to be nothing more than smoke and mirrors. And eventually one day he would be able to admit that a person can't really go inside of a box and disappear, that someone can't be sawed in half and live, or that a person can just be using you as a plaything and yet love you at the same time…

But for the time being, he was willing to fool himself into thinking he believed in magic. At least until he was able to make up his mind.

--

* * *

--

Emiri ran. And she ran hard. She wished, however, now that she was miles from Ikki's place, that she would have at least stayed long enough to see what kind of face Kazu made when she had kissed him. She could just picture those baby blue eyes blinking in surprise, or those soft lips trying to utter something cute and bashful, or maybe even disappointed features because she had left so quickly and he wanted to kiss her some more. Ok, so maybe that last bit was wishful thinking, but she still wanted to see his face. At least to know if the kiss was a make-or-break move.

Emiri only stopped running when she spotted Yayoi in the distance. Her figure was walking towards the water of the beach, and Emiri set her feet that way, quickly closing the distance between them.

"Yayoi!" she shouted, frantically waving a hand in the air.

Yayoi turned around swiftly, hair twirling with her and getting caught in her mouth. She looked surprised to see her friend here, of all places.

"Yayoi," she said again when she was finally next to the other girl, only slightly out of breath. "What are you doing all the way out here?"

"I actually… was going to meet someone," Yayoi answered quickly, tucking her hair behind her ears.

"Ohhhh," Emiri grinned evilly, catching the hint immediately and nudging Yayoi with a suggestive elbow. "Who's the lucky guy?"

Yayoi easily shoved Emiri away and made a face. Crossing her arms, she tore her gaze away from her friend and towards the water. A girl like Emiri couldn't possibly understand, could she? Too childish. She began grinding her teeth before speaking again.

"Why are you in such a hurry?"

"You'll be so proud of me!" she exclaimed. There was no willpower in her strong enough to keep herself from blurting out the next part. Her cheeks were on fire and her clammy hands pressed together like she was in some desperate prayer, putting her clasped hands against her chin she shouted; "I just kissed Kazu-sama!"

Well hold on now. Huh? Yayoi spun back around so fast that sand went flying. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was agape. _This_ was news!

"On the lips? How long? Who initiated it? Were tongues involved? Were hands? Give me details! How did it happen?"

Emiri blushed and then laughed; this was one of the things she liked about Yayoi. Underneath her stoic exterior and logical approaches, she was just another teenage girl who gave into the temptation of gossip. Not only that, but Emiri never shut up about Kazu, so hearing any sign of progress was something worthy of her attention.

"Well," Emiri felt suddenly small now. The moment didn't have anything too romantic about it. It was more like a random burst of _something_ compelling her to do it, and she didn't even leave the boy any time to say anything before she was done. At first it was to avoid any kind of rejection. But when she thought back on it, if Kazu by some chance _returned _those feelings, she just walked out on them. Damn… "I… it was just… on the cheek. I kissed him on the cheek and…"

"And..? Did he kiss you back? Say anything? What?"

Emiri began twiddling her fingers.

"N-no... I kissed him real quick and then I left."

Her moment of fame was up, and it wasn't very memorable. Yayoi proceeded to shake her head and 'tsk' at her friend, putting a hand to her shoulder.

"Look, Emiri," she began. "We're going to have to talk about this later, alright? We have things to discuss."

The shorter girl nodded without any hesitation, but she couldn't help but find it weird. It was very un-Yayoi-like to _not_ start lecturing about it right away. So then why was she – Oh! Oh.

"Oh…"

_I actually… was going to meet someone._

Well far be it from _her _to get in the way of something like that! Emiri quickly thanked her friend, promised to remember their rain check and ran off, following the shore. It looked as though she wasn't going to be the only one with a story to tell when they got together again.

--

* * *

--

When Ikki got home, his feet automatically lead him towards the couch. His mind was simply racing with thoughts he couldn't kill. Simca was being just as forward as ever, and _he _was just as confused about his own feelings as ever. The days were getting longer, it felt like, and his body was starting to slow down. Which reminded him; He also felt responsible for Kazu, and for what had happened to him. And naturally, he felt guilty about not being able to prevent it. He was the leader, right? Wasn't it his job to keep shit like that from happening? Too many things were happening at once and this was just another layer on the cake.

When he got to the couch he saw a bunch of crumpled blankets abandoned on the floor and a full bowl of cold soup on the table. It was obvious that the blond had been there, but there was no Kazu.

He knew he was jumping to conclusions, he knew he was being irrational, but seeing the couch empty like that sent his stomach into flips, because in his mind Kazu wasn't just _not on_ the couch, he was _missing_ from the couch.

He dashed up the stairs, taking two steps at a time and clutching the railing to pull himself up there faster, up to his room. When he got there, his door was slightly ajar, and instead of just bursting in, he stood next to the doorframe and took a listen. There were people in there, in his room, with the light off. He couldn't stop himself from eavesdropping.

His ears perked up when he heard a deep voice. Sano was in the room, talking. Ikki assumed Kazu was safe and sound on his bed, which was way more comfortable than that couch could ever claim to be, and he heaved a sigh of relief.

Way to overreact. Ikki figured that his lack of sleep was the reason he jumped the gun. He would never get paranoid about things like this otherwise. Tch...

Swallowing the lump in his throat and cupping his ear to hear better, he tried to listen in, and he peeked around the corner to get a glimpse as well.

In the room, Kazu was sitting Indian style on his bed as expected, looking buried underneath the thick covers like he was wearing a cloak, either hiding from the world, or Sano, or both. He'd recently been finding the bed and couch to be exponentially cozy and vital to a bruised sense of self.

In other words, Kazu hadn't left the house since he came back a two days ago.

Sano was sitting on the edge of the mattress, one leg folded under him and the other hanging over the side. His foot was tapping the floor as if agitated. He reached out a hand and started pulling the covers down, then brushed Kazu's golden locks back and out of his face. Kazu didn't blink, didn't even budge, let alone pull back from the touch. That alone irked the crow. Kazu was one not entirely fond of being touched, especially by Sano.

"Kazu-kun," the older boy said softly. "This is not healthy. All you're doing is making everyone worry. And you need to eat something."

Ikki mutely nodded, still out of site. He didn't think he was a bad person for not feeling bad for Kazu. He felt it was perfectly justified to be pissed at him for moping around. What would moping do for him, anyway?

"I know," Kazu rewrapped the blankets over and around him and grumbled into the comforters. "But I'm not hungry. I can't eat if I'm not hungry."

Sano gave a rather irritated sigh. Ikki gathered that he must have been sitting there for a while, trying and failing to win some sort of battle with the younger boy. Ikki was getting frustrated with Kazu's refusal to eat anything; that guy was already thin enough as it was.

"I'm leaving it right here," the brunette mentioned, finally giving up and setting a bowl of something Ikki couldn't identify on the dresser next to the bed. Ikki managed to duck out of sight before the Iron Clock came out of the room. He was sure someone like Iron would be able to sense him there regardless, but if he did, he chose not to acknowledge him.

--

* * *

--

It wasn't until the next day that Kazu had started eating again, his growling stomach becoming too much of an annoyance for him and the people around him. And he went outside when Ikki got fed up and shoved him off the bed and dragged his stuttering ass out the door. He wore AT's too, as he normally would, but he went just fast enough to get by, like he was just using them instead of regular shoes. It wasn't that he couldn't do anything anymore, Ikki duly noted, it was just that Kazu didn't attempt to do so.

And that was irritating.

Ikki couldn't shake the tenseness in his shoulders, the bags from forming under his eyes, or the way his mind couldn't stay focused on one thing for an extended period of time. His friends were starting to worry about him – hell, he was starting to worry about himself!

That didn't bode well with him, either, since half of him was still worrying about a certain stubborn blonde, who over that past few weeks, seemed to have distanced himself from the rest of the world. He'd agreed to go back to school, but in what seemed like a shell, always lost in thought and mind elsewhere when people tried to talk to him, _much _to Ikki's troubled mind. For a while, Ikki tried miserably to ignore it in hopes that whatever it was that was dragging Kazu down would let him go and let him resurface to the way he was supposed to be.

It had been so long since Ikki had heard the boy genuinely laugh.

He spent a lot of time watching Kazu out of the corner of his eye. It was easier to pretend nothing was wrong when Kazu didn't directly say anything, but it was hard to ignore it when Kazu's face was so worn and abstracted in thought. Still, he already had so much to worry about and there were still so many unanswered questions concerning Kazu's temporary vanishing act, making it that much hard to ignore it.

In fact, the very next day at school, Ikki was reminded of the subject. Ironically, it was brought to attention because Kazu _wasn't _there, and he _couldn't _see that brooding face.

That morning Kazu had left early and Ikki had assumed that the boy just headed off the school early to avoid conversation. But once the crow had gotten to school, he knew that once again, Kazu had failed to show up. So today, after the bell rang and everyone was free to leave, he did so without a single word. He knew where he was going, kept his eyes set forward as he treaded, nearly guaranteeing himself that Kazu would be there when he arrived.

Sure enough, after a mile or so, the white fabric of Kazu's beanie grabbed Ikki's attention. It was a big contrast to the grey sky behind him, even moreso to the fence, and Ikki briefly noted that Kazu's light colors made him look like life in a dead painting. Though not very much alive. The crow trudged stiffly to the other boy leaning up against that god-awful fence, and put a strong hand onto the blonde's bony shoulder.

There were lots of things Ikki wanted to ask right then. Like how long Kazu planned on skipping school. Or when he was going to stop being such a self centered ass. Or why he was making things so hard on him. Better yet, if he understood just how few up his was.

Kazu lifted his eyes to meet Ikki's, brows knitted in a way that showed he'd been in deep thought for a while now. Ikki knew his friend was embarrassed about his appearance, what with his darkened eye and all around dead looking manifestation and everything. A battle scar wasn't something to show off if you were at the losing end. And lord knew that Emiri would screech and make a scene as soon as she saw someone had even _considered_ scratching Kazu's face. He could understand the logic of not wanting to go out into public until he looked and felt better, but at the same time…

Of course, even if Kazu didn't want anyone to see him right now, it was uncharacteristic of him to hide away like this. Shrink into the distance maybe, but not to hide completely. If anything the blonde would be pushing past the crowds to be seen. He blinked slowly, squinting past the light shining down from the cloudless sky and really focused on Kazu's face.

"There's more to it, isn't there?" the crow monotoned. Now was just as good a time as ever.

Kazu made a face. There Ikki was again, making that know-it-all look on his face, mixed with sincerity; a mix of expressions that only Ikki seemed able to pull off so well. He could only bring himself to stare at his childhood friend, mouth unable to work, or maybe just not wanting to.

When he _gave_ no answer, Ikki found his patience wavering. He'd backed off the other night when he found Kazu in his room, because he was glad to see him alright and at the time, that was really all that mattered. But now that he was back and acting like a child, it was just starting to get on his nerves.

"Man, you gotta stop comin' here. S'no good for you."

As he expected, the face Kazu made was a tad angered, but nothing big came from it. Just a quick exclamation. Or at least an attempt at one.

"Just who do you think you are to tell – "

"Kazu, all you _do_ anymore is come down here and just… that's it! You don't do anything but sit here, moping about who knows what, making yourself miserable."

Kazu wanted so badly to retort but again, Ikki had made a point that was too hard for him to counter. Yeah, he came down here a lot nowadays, because it was the only place where he could be alone to think things through with a clear head. But maybe it was getting a little excessive. Too much thinking never led to anything good.

"I-"

Ikki approached him, stood next to him, lacing his fingers through the wire, trying not to smile when Kazu looked at a loss for words. Of course he looked as though he was just itching to say something back, to defend himself perhaps, when Ikki's phone rang. Lips twisting at the distraction, Ikki flipped his phone open.

"Yeah?"

Moments later, he wished he had never picked it up at all.

--

* * *

--

In an instant, everything in the world halted, sending Ikki straight back to the house, Kazu obediently at his heels with no questions asked.

But some things couldn't be helped, and Ikki couldn't ignore that phone call, 'coz something was certainly up now. That one murder was turning into a string of murders, and being the one to report it, he was unwillingly involved. What irritated Ikki the most was that by involving himself, he was involving the people around him.

However, there was just one little detail that made his legs strain harder when he was running. The murders that happened tonight were the same as the ones before – brutal, plentiful, and all the victims were Storm Riders.

Naturally, _being_ one himself, it put him on a bit of an edge. His whole body throbbed from running and when he got there, he felt practically numb. What little information he'd gotten over the phone mingled in his brain, jumping around all scrambled with the things he already knew and even though he was able to put certain pieces together, he planted himself in front of Ringo, the one behind the call, hands cupping his knees as he quickly caught his breath.

"What happened?"

It was so rushed and oh, where to begin?

Ringo seemed to be speechless, holding her hand fisted nervously over her mouth. It was apparent she was trying to speak and horribly failing, so she dug through her clothes until she pulled out several photos. Whatever authorities that were here earlier were already gone, leaving Ringo with nothing but a warning and these... Ikki quickly concluded they were copies of police photos. She shakily handed them to the boy, who examined them briskly.

His eyes widened. Amongst the gore and crippled limbs in the photos, there was a message smeared across a brick wall with a substance that Ikki knew but didn't want to think about; something red and thick. And it read;

_Sky King_

Ikki gulped.

This was no longer the matter at hand that it was before. He was only safe for as long as these creeps didn't find out who he was and where he lived. For whatever reason, _he _was being hunted. And what was worse, was that the cops probably had no idea what it all meant.

The only sound Ringo could stutter was Ikki's name before Kazu, still shadowing his movements, sensitive to the obvious fragility of the situation but hating the feeling of being left in the dark, grabbed Ikki's shoulder and turned him around.

"Ikki, what's going on?" he asked frantically, looking quite exhausted by all the sudden commotion. How could a day shift so dramatically? Kazu couldn't figure it out.

It was about that moment that it hit Ikki, about what kind of rut he was running into. In a short period of time, he'd gotten a couple visits from the police about the same crime from undoubtedly the same criminal, one who apparently thought the only good AT user was a dead one, who was _also _specifically looking for him and _his _team, and with Kazu invited into their home for an unknown length of time, secrets, though never a likable route to begin with, were no longer an option.

After licking his lips to moisten them, Ikki turned to his longtime friend. His eyes skipped around the blonde's puzzled face, over his bruised flesh and chipped lip and finally into his concerned eyes. Seeing him like that was hard enough. But knowing that the members of his team were now in certain danger, well… this wasn't going to be easy.

--

* * *

--

He was a thin man, but the look in his eyes made sure no one crossed him. His teeth, in spite of his unkempt hair and skin, were straight and white and overall, perfect. But he didn't smile very much. Lately, there hadn't been too much to smile about. Not with some punk nosed little brat roaming around the city with feet nearly as fast as his own.

Riffle spit angrily to the side, gaining the attention of his partners.

One of them, Weaver, crinkled his nose in irritation.

"Forget that kid, Rife," he said in a scratchy voice, bringing over a nimble arm to pat the other man on the back. "He's a nobody – we probably won't ever see him again. I mean, you beat him. That's all the matters."

"You should have seen the look on your face," another irresistibly laughed, slamming an open palm on the table. Mantis' voice was sleek and spoken in a slight whisper. His laughter was loud and dark at the same time.

Ignoring Mantis' laughter, Riffle balled his hands into tight fists. He couldn't tame the blood from boiling in his system.

"I still think we should have killed him," he muttered darkly, then he looked over his shoulder and spoke louder. "You hear me, boss? We shoulda killed him on the spot."

The Devil jerked his head to the side to crack his neck, and leaned further back in his seat.

"Talent like that is hard to come by," their leader spoke, catching them all off guard, and only infuriating Riffle more. "And you're wrong, Weaver. We _will_ be seeing him again, just as soon as I finish thinking something through."

Riffle growled deep in his throat.

"He's just some stupid kid! A Storm Rider, no less. I thought you-"

"Calm yourself."

"Fuckin' shit."

The darkness seemed somehow cold when they all hushed, listening to the sound the water drip and rats squeak and scurry. Their home was unclean and smelled of mold and whiskey.

Then their leader reached out and grabbed a remote to turn the television on. The small screen flickered to life and cast a faint light over all four men as they brought their attention to the news. The Devil smiled, the skin around the corners of his mouth creasing.

That is, until he cast his eyes down to Riffle, still silently irate in his seat. It was natural, he assumed, to be annoyed with someone like the boy they came across a couple of nights ago, and Riffle brought up a good point about letting him go. Sometimes, though, even the Devil himself could be caught in a good mood.

There was just something about him, though. Something too good and too rare to eliminate from the world. A kid with that kind of talent didn't need to be killed off so quickly, but perhaps, he didn't need to be let go of either.

"Weaver."

"Sir?"

"I have a job for you."


	13. In My Defense

**A/N: **wowie, I got a lot of longer reviews this time! I'm still amazed at how many people are reading this! Mostly because there are a lot of people who don't see Ikki and Kazu being together but let's face it - they should be. They're better than other pairings in Air Gear, in my opinion (I could write a novel on this so don't get me started)

If you've read **Wind At Your Back **you might pick up on a thing or two in this chapter that inspired it.

**WARNINGS: **Kazu being emo. This chapter was close to being titled "Kazu's Emo Chapter" before I laughed and said no. Possible slight OOC (again, not on purpose but I'm covering my ass) Uhm, me always missing SOME kind of spelling or grammar issue - try to ignore them. Also, other normal warnings like language and whatever the hell else I end up writin' in here.

I think I like to torture Kazu just a little too much. Oh boy, the things I have planned for him (bwahaha) anyway...

Thank you !!

**RoxasIsReal13: **Thanks so much for the review. Yeah, Sano's a perv, but sometimes I feel like even he knows when its a bad time. That's just me though, heh

**minoki: **Trust me, I'M happy I updated. I hate making people wait too long.

**Slifer: **yay one of my loyal readers! Thanks a lot for your kind words. It's hard to write characters in situations they've never been in before and keep them in character. Oh and I love to torture you all!

**Flawless Beauti: **lol thanks! That's why I love Ikki so much. You can tell he cares but he's not all mushy about it. He's a boy, after all. And Kitten chan's art is simply amazing, isn't it!?

**DevaGlenn: **Drat - I _always_ miss some sort of spelling, haha, and omg you have NO idea how much it means to me about the characters still being believable and true to themselves. Thanks!

**Jenova-chan: **aww cliffhangers can be a real pain sometimes, you know? But even more so when you get no update afterwards! I love you for reading!

**Emi Sue: **Thank God you still think so well of the story. You love me and hate me? I'll take that as a good thing - Thanks !

**maru: **No need to bow my dear, I live to serve ! Your comments mean tons to me!

**LavenderShell: **I hope you didn't feel like you had to wait too long for this chapter!

**Senket: **Yeah... Yeah, I've noticed that too, about my notes having more or less the same worries in them. (Though I could NEVER write enough Kazu lol) and thank you for the compliments on the way I write him.

**rei yamata: **Ohh addicted! That means I'm doing a good job! Make sure you go check out my friends fan art, she's fantastic. You can find her stuff through a link on my page.

**AnonyMouse: **Oh my oh my how I LOVE long reviews. And you made me feel so GOOD about everything, I hope the next chapter makes you just as excited!

**Massie: **wow. It means a bunch to me when someone who supposedly isn't into these types of stories, reads and reviews mine! Thank you thank you thank you!

**BlackFlameRose: **first of all, let me thank you for critisizing in a mature way, and second of all, thank you for the wonderful review! (for FaS and my oneshots !)

**readerfreek: **By all means, go for it! I do not have a preference, I don't want to limit your creativity.

Oh my dear **Blizzy **I didn't see a review from you but you've been super nice to me and I know you read it. I love you!

And again, lovely **Kitten chan **I can NEVER thank you enough for the wonderful art you've been drawing! I know you tell me there's no need to thank you so much but seriously - THANKS!

And now my readers... (throws pokeball) emo Kazu, I choose you !

--

* * *

--

--

**Air Gear**

_a fiction by Crimson Vixen_

**In My Defense**

--

--

* * *

--

Something interesting about the sun and the moon; Regardless of their purpose in life, they share the same sky.

During the day time, the sun will rise and linger, spreading light and warmth. During the night, once the sun retires, the moon replaces it, sharing its beauty and mystery.

Then there are moments where they both show their faces at the same time. The moon sits out of reach like it's watching and waiting. For with the sun so naturally bright, the moon is harder to notice. Overshadowed by the light. But most definitely there.

Ikki sometimes wondered if when that happened – when the moon and sun were both visible in the sky at the same time – just how many people noticed the moon first, if at all.

--

* * *

--

"I never saw you as the kind of person to skip school," Onigiri laughed nervously.

Yayoi shook her head, smiling a little.

"And I never saw you as the type to treat a girl."

The stout boy grinned ear to ear, lifting his chin a little higher in pride. She was a pretty perceptive girl. He never _did _treat other people if he could help it; Yayoi was the first person he had ever willingly offered to pay for. It actually felt kind of nice. He didn't mind wanting to spend his money on her.

Coming to the movies was a great idea. No one was there since everyone was at school, and the people that worked at the theatre didn't question two kids showing up during school hours because they got paid either way. It was nice to be able to have someone special that he could hang out with. Buccha was always off doing… whatever, and Ikki and Kazu seemed to be bickering or _something _he wasn't sure of but he didn't care. Those two always ended overcoming their differences eventually. Akito wouldn't even want to come if Ikki wasn't and as far as Agito.

Out of the question.

Onigiri shook his head. Why was he wasting his time thinking about those jokers when he had a pretty girl waiting for him? With so very few people standing in line, Onigiri told Yayoi to take a seat and rest while he stood in line and got the tickets and snacks.

Yayoi only rushed to help him when he came back with a giant bag of popcorn and two drinks. He blushed when her soft hand touched his when she grabbed for one of the drinks.

"You got it?"

"Y-yeah…"

"Movie starts in a few minutes. Let's go find our seats."

Onigiri nodded, wanting to loop an arm around the girl's and escort her the proper way but couldn't with popcorn in one hand, a drink in the other, a ticket spurting out from between his middle and pointer finger.

When they sat down in their seats, they sat in the very center of the theatre. No one else had come to watch the thriller that they had come to see. Onigiri was half convinced that it must not be that good if the rating was low enough for him and Yayoi to get into. Either way, at least he was alone with her, which was much more than he ever thought he would get to experience. The movies were the perfect place for a first date. You got to be alone with the person you went with, but there was no pressure for conversation since you both locked eyes with a movie screen. Well, that's not what he had heard but…

Yayoi seemed cozy in her seat, nuzzling her back into the chair and staring up at the screen while the previews started. She absentmindedly reached over for her drink but bumped it instead, and it fell to the floor with a splash.

"Crap," she muttered under her breath, gazing quickly at Onigiri since he was the one that paid for it in the first place. The boy just shrugged and laughed, making Yayoi feel a little more at ease after being what she considered to be so damn clumsy. She excused herself and was about to get up to buy herself a new drink, when Onigiri caught her tiny wrist and sat her back down.

"Unless it bothers you…" he started, picking up his own drink and offering it to her. "I mean… if you don't like drinking after people, I would totally understand."

"I don't mind," Yayoi cut in, taking the drink without hesitation and taking a drawn out sip. Her eyes slid to the side and watched Onigiri as he blushed. This was strange, the girl mused. Of all the people in the world, of all the boys in their school, she never thought in a million years that it would be _Onigiri_ that captured her attention. He was one persistent pig, that was for sure. The day she had caught him in mid-crime of skirt chasing, he's been blushing up a storm and fidgeting like he had no control of his body. He held back a little at first, refusing to give her any information on anything, like he was actually ashamed of what he'd done. But when he did give his reasoning for doing something so filthy…

Well, Yayoi loved honesty – thought it was an admirable quality to possess. She just never imagined that Onigiri would be one of those truthful people. In a way it was flattering to her. He was a boy after all, and he could have made up any excuse to get out of the situation. Instead, he said he knew what he was doing and that he was sorry, and then proceeded to tell her things about _herself _and why he chose to look up _her_ skirt that day. Like the way her lower lip pouted a little when she was angry or upset, or the way her voice sounded when she was scolding or lecturing. Onigiri said he liked a girl who could take control of a situation or problem. He thought it was… of all the words to describe it… cute.

She had never been called _cute _before.

Yayoi set the drink back down and took a small handful of popcorn. Her hand brushed against Onigiri's for the second time that day, but neither of them jerked their hands away. They lingered, though only for a moment.

The previews were ending and both of them turned their attention to the screen. Onigiri wasn't so keen on his logic from before. A movie wasn't that good of a first date anymore, since he didn't really want to watch the movie. He wanted to watch Yayoi, and maybe even just talk with her. Interact with her one way or another.

He set his arm on the armrest, deliberately inching it towards Yayoi's until their forearms lightly touched. He was testing the waters, seeing if she reacted negatively or positively. So far, she didn't do anything, which was both good and bad in his eyes. At least she had agreed to go with him. That alone said wonders.

--

* * *

--

Kazu slouched in his seat. Ikki had more or less _dragged_ him to school and even though he knew he had to go to class, he really didn't want to be there. The teacher was talking about things he didn't care about, and in turn, she didn't care – or rather just didn't have the nerve to say anything about it – about the fact that Kazu was staring out the window instead. He rested a delicate chin on his palm, fingers gently curling and pinky just touching his plump lip. His body still ached in places, although more faintly now, and it was still hard to meet people's eyes with his own.

What a month it had been. As if things weren't crazy enough already, what with his first losing race and the humiliation of his best friend finding out he'd been beaten senseless, Ikki had filled him in on something that didn't… seem real. He knew that being Storm Riders brought up some pretty dangerous and let's face it, sometimes life threatening circumstances, but he never anticipated having to deal with something as serious as _murderers_. And apparently, that was why Sano had made himself at home there. To _baby-sit_ them, as Ikki had put it.

The blonde pursed his lips and knitted his brows. It almost hurt to know that Ikki had kept something like that from him for so long, even though he really didn't have the right to be angry about that, when he himself had yet to tell Ikki a handful of things that had been going on…

Great… Kazu started grinding his teeth,_ hard_.

Kazu's fingers curled a little tighter for every minute he contemplated. Eventually his nails started poking at his skin. He hated it when he started thinking like this, because once he started there was no telling where it would go or when it would end. He closed his eyes tightly and opened them again, feeling a headache starting to spread, starting from the back and slowly coiling around the sides. He didn't have to look to know that Ikki was giving him one of those dissaproving glances, and he could feel Emiri's eyes on him too, from across the room as per usual, and he tensed slightly.

Thankfully, he managed to go through the whole day without being called on, or called out for spacing out all day, and when the bell rang, he gathered up his things and left the classroom without a word, making sure to avoid eye contact with his classmates to prevent any kind of confrontation. He'd never felt like such a coward before. And he was pretty sure Ikki didn't like cowards.

No one followed him when he made his way to his locker. Not Ringo, not Emiri, not Ikki. Nobody. He hadn't even seen Onigiri today – the kid was probably faking sick since they had a test at the start of class. A test which Kazu was pretty sure he bombed. With a giant sigh, he pried his locker open and shoved his books inside. If there was any homework assigned to them, he didn't catch it. And he didn't care.

He needed to get stronger. Faster. No matter what. Redeem himself and then get out of whatever faze he'd thrown himself into. Best of all, reclaim his lost pride and status and Ikki would never have to know.

Kazu took his ATs out of his bag and put them on. He'd already weakened himself by not using them the right way in the past couple of days and he had some serious catching up to do. With a grim look upon his face, he slammed his locker shut and was about to march out those double doors when a feminine voice reached his ears. He knew that voice anywhere.

"Emiri…" he said, turning around to greet the girl that _had _followed him in the end. Somehow she made his expression soften. "You're wearing your ATs."

"Yeah!" the girl giggled, no longer struggling to stand up straight or move forward for that matter. She skated a quick circle around him to show off her improvement.

Kazu had to admit, Emiri had gotten a lot better since the last time he saw her wearing those things. She was much more confident. Her footing and form were still sloppy but it looked like she had the basics of going, stopping and turning down pretty good. If she kept this up, she'd be really good.

"That's great! I was about to head out and practice myself…" he told her honestly. Then his face adopted a more serious expression. "Hey Emiri… about the other day…"

_Oh shit, _Emiri mentally panicked. He was going to ask her about the kiss. She wasn't ready to explain herself just yet! Her mouth moved, open shut, open shut, and just as her vocal chords started making noise, Kazu's light blue eyes flicked just a fraction over to the side, like something else had captured his attention.

"We'll have to talk about this later. I gotta go," he said tersely, offering a pathetic wave and then running for the doors.

_Oh thank god... _She was no way ready to touch that subject - it hadn't even crossed her mind that Kazu might bring it up. Releasing a huge breath, Emiri turned around to see what had scared the boy off, but only saw a pissed of looking Ikki. And he was coming her way.

--

* * *

--

"Damn!"

Kazu had lost track of how many times he cursed in the past hour. He eyed the wall bitterly, lower lip jutting out in a sour pout. He was pissed about being pissed, because getting angry only makes you worse and being worse only made you angry. The boy let out a short, aggravated yell, one that hurt his throat for a minute afterwards, hands balled into fists.

The wall was high and smooth. Sturdy and perfect for practicing wall climbing. Climbing walls was never something he had taken the time to learn. But he figured if he could learn something hard like that, it would be easier to practice other things, like increasing his speed. Not to mention, when he went back for a rematch, perhaps he could use wall climbing to his advantage. Buccha had already had the skill when they all met him. Ikki picked it up like it was nothing. Onigiri had no desire to learn such a skill, already content with staying low to the ground. So it was just him. Kazu made a determined face.

At any rate, if he could learn this, he would be that much better as a Storm Rider.

He took a deep breath and slowly released it, mentally counting to three and bursting forward in an explosion of speed. His long legs sprang him upwards, where he curled his body and bent his legs to put them to the wall. He had hoped that on contact, his already spinning wheels would thrust him upwards and he could ride the wall like a regular grind.

Instead, his wheels were spinning a little too fast, and sent his legs forward while the rest of him fell back. He hit the ground hard, shoulder first and he let another curse fall from his lips. Crawling to all fours and then using the wall he was starting to despise to stand up, he gave it another menacing glare.

Maybe this time if he could do the same thing, only lessen the speed of his wheels. And maybe if his leaned forward a little to balance his weight…

Kazu stepped back, ignoring the twinge in his shoulder and the other parts of his body that were screaming at him to fully heal before doing such stupid things, but he had to do this. He knew he was obsessing but he had to get a rematch and _win_ so he could move on.

When he jumped again, he made sure he had much less momentum to it, but this time when he hit the wall, his bruised leg slipped and flung to the side. His arms moved to catch himself, which was hard at such and angle, elbow banging against the barricade before he really felt himself fall. He prepared himself for the impact, knowing what to expect by now but the impact never came. In fact, he wasn't even falling anymore.

Kazu opened one eye first, then two when he realized where he was, and awkwardly so.

"Shit, let me go," Kazu flailed and scrambled out of Ikki's arms. How did the boy catch him so smoothly? He hadn't even realized the crow was there. Ikki easily let the blonde scuttle out of his hold and take two steps before turning around to face him, eyes wide and full of too many emotions for Ikki to pinpoint any single one.

"What the hell are you trying to do?" Ikki's shoulders quivered when he laughed a little, somewhat entertained with the way Kazu's cheeks puffed out when he was caught in these kinds of situations.

"What does it look like I'm doing," the blonde retorted, finding it pointless to avoid the subject all together since it was pretty damn obvious. Still, he hadn't expected Ikki of all people to follow him here, or interrupt him as such. Lately it seemed that Ikki was always there when he least wanted him to be.

"Well, I see that. What I mean is… why?"

Kazu blinked. What a stupid question.

"For the same reason anyone else does anything. To get better."

Ikki tried to suppress the frustrations he came here with when he opened his mouth to speak. A little earlier he already had to keep a calm tone when he spoke with Emiri. He shrugged.

"Nothing better than your best"

"Well then my best isn't good enough."

Then Ikki spoke without really thinking about it, hands in his pockets and face solemn. At first, he wasn't even aware that he'd spoken out loud.

"...You just don't get it, do you? How amazing you are."

Kazu took a single step back, unsure how he was supposed to retaliate. He swallowed the lump in his throat and finally found his voice.

"Were you following me?"

Ikki knew the way Kazu spoke. He'd known the boy since they were kids and when Kazu said yes he meant yes. When he said no he meant no and when he shrugged it usually meant he wasn't paying much attention to the question. So when he asked _were you following me_, Ikki was pretty sure he was asking _why_.

The crow kept his expression and temper steady. If he started yelling, they might not get anywhere, and Ikki was trying any means necessary now to get the answers that were starting to plague him. Kazu knew about the murders now, and why Sano was staying at his place, and yet even after sharing this important and furtive information, the blonde's behavior hadn't changed in the least. Common sense said it had something to do with the blonde suddenly going MIA and coming back looking like he'd returned from a war. Ikki's patience was wearing thin, but if he could get answers by just acting like it wasn't that big of a deal, then all the better.

"Yeah, I've been meaning to talk to you for a while, actually. But even if you're living under the same roof, you're impossible to get a hold of."

Kazu felt a wave of guilt swallow him and he briefly looked to the ground before meeting Ikki's dark eyes.

"I've been – "

"Busy, I know," Ikki said for him, trying harder now to urge the edge in his voice to disappear. His fingers fidgeted within his pockets. He had to do this right or he'd be back to square one.

For a moment, Ikki felt the moment to be rather depressing. Never in his life did he feel the need to step on eggshells around Kazu before, and the feeling wasn't something he thought he could get used to. Kazu was on the edge of _something _that Ikki couldn't put a name to and he wondered if making a wrong move would only send him further away. They had known each other for most of their young lives, were able to share anything, so why this sudden shift? Ikki liked change, but only if it was for the better.

But they were both suffering, and if Kazu wasn't going to do anything about it, Ikki wasn't going to sit around and wait for things to reach an irreversible climax.

"Every time I _do _see you, you're training. That's great and all but you need to loosen up."

Perhaps, Ikki thought only after the words were already spoken, he could have gone about it in a much more appealing way. But he'd always known Kazu to appreciate words that weren't sugar coated, no matter how much they stung. Though when he looked at the boy, he appeared taken aback.

"I have to be better…"

"This again…" Ikki groaned and rolled his eyes, making sure Kazu caught it. He was conscious of the fact that his anger was starting to shine through, but he still did his best to keep his cool. No matter how much he wanted to grab Kazu's shoulders and shake the boy until he regained his senses.

"Come on," Ikki said. He was about to add on something along the lines of _is it really that important to you _or _why are you so set on matching everybody_ but before he could even try, Kazu cut in, voice noticeably deeper. That usually signified that he wanted to be taken seriously, so Ikki shut up, reaching out towards Kazu's arm to steady him.

"_You _come on!" He violently jerked away from the other boy's touch. "Whatever you say, whatever I tell myself, in the end it _does _bother me! It always has! I train harder than everyone else and I still feel like I'm always a step behind!"

He growled deep in his throat, something hot and untamed bubbling underneath his skin. He bore into Ikki's eyes, unwavering, blowing himself over now and finding it harder to go back.

Ikki swallowed the lump in his throat. This was something totally different than what he was expecting. He'd wanted to solve the mystery of Kazu's dissaperaence, but _this_ was another issue entirely, albeit one that had been around for some time now. Apparently, it had been festering and growing to this point. Kazu had gradually been growing more and more hostile over time, to the point where for a moment, the crow didn't recognize him. Yeah, the jet always had a temper on him when you pushed the right buttons, but now..?

Well, it was no longer something he felt would eventually fix itself.

It was at that moment, gazing deep into Kazu's burning blue eyes, that he realized...

…he really didn't understand this boy as well as he assumed he did. There were layers he hadn't even begun to fathom, secrets he'd yet to unravel, pieces of him he'd overlooked and had yet to see. It felt somewhat embarrassing, having something right in front of you for almost your whole entire life and never see it until it really mattered. In the past, he'd seen Kazu's rage, (there have been times where he had lit that short fuse) but he'd _never _seen Kazu's eyes as they were now.

The air around him felt cold now, like there was a shift in aura. Had Kazu's temper really shot up that quickly? And what happened to his own?

"K-Kazu, I..."

Did he just stutter? Ikki put a finger to his lips, furrowing his eye brows and plastering a pure look of confusion on his face, almost not knowing that he was able to make such incomprehensible sounds. He was being put in his place in a way, but Ikki didn't like being pushed back and told he was wrong, nor did he like not being in control of a situation. Clearing his throat, he dared himself to approach the fuming boy, bringing their faces close, stubborn and refusing to back down, even when a part of him was telling him that now was not the time to.

His mind was pounding, screeching for him to forget about dominating the situation and just sit down and _listen _to what his friend is trying to tell him because it has obviously been on his mind for the longest time. Just. Back. Down.

But Ikki… even if he wanted to, he didn't know how.

"Do you expect me to be a mind reader?" he shot back in his defense, regretting the words as they came. "The things that bother you don't bother everyone else."

"I never said they should. And _what_ – you want me to be just everyone else now?" Kazu showed little to no sign of backing down. He stood up against his leader, something he'd done before but never so abrasively, only making Ikki feel like he knew even less about him. He was in his face, and they were yelling, almost _screaming _enough for spit to fly, faces going pink and necks straining. Ikki already couldn't recall the moment or word that started the downward spiral. "Just _forget_ it!"

But how could he forget it now?

That's right; Ikki mused. He was the one that drove them to this in the first place. A long time ago in fact. And he was also the one that believed that those who start something should see it through to the end. But that also meant that Kazu _didn't _start it, giving him the legroom to not necessarily back down, but to run away.

Sometimes, he was sure Kazu felt running was all he had.

"And dammit!" the blond continued to seethe, ripping his hat from his head and at first, Ikki thought he was going to throw it to the ground in aggravation. But it meant too much to him, still, and he hit Ikki's shoulder with it instead. Ikki was glad he didn't toss it – it would be another thing he wasn't ready for; Kazu being... unpredictable. It was kind of new and exciting, but not all at once, being pushing onto him all in one setting. It was an explosion of discoveries and unlabeled emotions, good and bad – it was almost overwhelming.

"I can only do so much. What else do I have to do to - !?"

…_stand out to you! _

Kazu gulped, somehow able to control himself enough to stop. He wasn't sure anymore how this all started. He was practicing, Ikki showed his smug face and caught him as he fell. In other words, he witnessed another moment of weakness in him. Kazu couldn't stand it. It was no longer just about becoming stronger but also Ikki's ignorance to it all. He never thought he was mad at the crow about it, but here they were, moments away from going at each other's throats because he couldn't just keep quiet about it anymore.

"You get… All that attention. All that glory. Sometimes I can't stand it!"

It was all coming out now; things he didn't even know his own mind possessed. And even though they were his own words, Kazu grew speechless. So did Ikki. He blinked. Then he blinked again, mouth slightly open as if he'd just witnessed something horrible.

"Wake up," Ikki abruptly muttered under his breath. After all this time, after all the times he's _told _Kazu _himself_ that he never gave himself enough credit, this was the degree to which Kazu lowered himself.

"What was that!?"

"I said wake _up_, already!" Ikki exploded. "You idiot..."

Instead of shrinking back and gritting his teeth like Ikki expected him to, Kazu got close, put his chest to Ikki's in a challenge and glared up at the slightly taller boy. Ikki could only stare back. They've bickered before but never like this…

"_You_ wake up, moron! Of _course_ you don't get it; you're too high on the fucking chain!" Kazu's eyes flashed red as he used his hands to illustrate what he was saying, as if the chain was dangling from his fingers as he spoke. "You're so high on your throne that your shadow covers everyone else! I'm just another faceless stranger in the crowd of the people under you and whenever you – !"

The sharp sound of skin again skin rang out into the night, and Kazu's head snapped to the side as his vision flashed white and then swam as he stumbled back, hand cradling his now burning cheek. Ikki had never struck him like that before, so all he could do was gawk at Ikki with a hand to his face, mouth agape and shoulders rising and falling with his unsure breath.

"Don't get the wrong idea, Kazu," Ikki breathed steadily, meeting those confused blue eyes. He kept his voice low and serious, making sure that the blonde heard him and heard him good. "I _am_ moving towards the top. I won't stop until I get there."

Kazu thickly swallowed all the rage that was trying to bubble up his windpipe.

"But it was never my intention for a second to do it alone." The crow continued. "I'm taking my team with me."

He took a step closer, and watched as Kazu moved his gaze from him to the ground up to him again. His light brows were lowered dangerously but his eyes showed nothing but confusion.

"A shadow only covers you if you let it. If it bothers you so damn much, sidestep it."

Sometimes things were never clear as they should be until someone else pointed it out for you. Kazu blinked and gritted his teeth, absorbing Ikki's words and trying to block some choked sound, hand still cupping the side of his stinging cheek. Sidestep the shadow. And into the light. It sounded simple enough. Maybe he had been too concerned about being in the dark that he couldn't see...

That Ikki was trying to offer him the sun. Perhaps he always had been.

"You're a part of my team, last time I checked," Ikki added, somehow managing to smile. If he smiled, maybe this would be that much easier. "Kazu, you're right up there with me!"

A silence fell upon them both, the cool air teasing their clothes and hair. It was an awkward but acceptable silence of uncertainty, like the silence found at a funeral. All Ikki could hear was the leaves rustle and soft slow breaths Kazu was heaving. He stepped forward, taking the blonde's wrist and lowering it so he could see the cheek he had voilated. He wasn't angry as himself for striking his best friend. Instead, it was that somehow, somewhere in all of this he forgot to keep his game face.

Tenderly he put his own hand over his friend's reddening cheek. He only hoped it would express the things he couldn't say.

_Surely you can understand…_

Ikki scowled; he couldn't let culpability get the better of him. Hitting Kazu had been the only way to get him to listen. The boy was spiraling and Ikki wasn't sure how else to stop it. Only now he had to look at that distressed, vaguely conflicted face.

Ikki felt moister leak onto his fingers, and when he looked closely he could see blue eyes glisten. The crow could not say he was surprised. However prideful and brash his friend could be, when he was happy he was happy, when he was sad he was sad, and his emotions showed him as he was, regardless of any attempts on his part to stop it. He could tell the blonde was even more embarrassed now, and before he knew it, Kazu's golden head had fallen into his jacket against his chest, just over his heart.

Kazu's humiliation hit a limit, and he let his walls crumble _just a little_, and he let a select few tears fall. He did not sob. He made no noise. He did not get hysterical and he did not plead or beg for anything; he just let his face press against the crow's body.

His shoulders were trembling only slightly and what words he _did _finally let escape were lost into the soft material of Ikki's jacket. His arms hung limp at his sides, refusing to claw and clutch for anything, so Ikki raise his own and wrapped them around the other boy.

By no means did it feel awkward in any sense. They were boys, and boys were only human. Kazu needed this, in spite of whatever it looked like to a third party, and the other boy fit strangely well in his arms.

"Kazu," he started, but that was all it took for Kazu to shake even more, though not by much, wracking with things he wanted to hold back, cursing loudly at himself for being so weak.

Ikki wasn't too sure why his friend suddenly felt so fragile, (maybe it was because he'd never been forced to _witness _it before) or why he felt responsible, or if Kazu was angry at him or himself or both, or even if he was just overjoyed with some sort of realization or relief – he just didn't _know_. He wasn't even aware of how they'd both fallen so far in their friendship. All he did know, was just how blind people in general could be to those they thought they knew best.

Kazu shifted a little, seeming as if he wanted to pull his head back but when Ikki let his arms drop, the jet stayed put.

"Ikki," he mumbled wetly.

If he was going to apologize or if he wanted to explain himself, it never came. He just threw himself further into the older boy and stayed there, as if silently thanking him for existing at that moment, for being the pillar he so desperately needed at the time, even if he hated him all the same. He dribbled words into Ikki's jacket again, shaking his head and repeating himself over and over again.

This time Ikki could make some of them out.

'You have no idea. You have no idea. If only you knew. If only you _knew_!'

Really, Ikki normally hated moments like this. An emotionally draining day full of bleeding hearts and shattered shells and him being stuck somewhere in the mix. He didn't like this kind of drama, or the responsibility of involvement. It wasn't his scene. Wasn't him.

Yet today, although he could never properly recite the lesson out loud if asked, he knew he had learned something valuable. And he did not accomplish what he had set out to do tonight, but perhaps something more important had transpired. Maybe he just happened to be in the right place at the right time, or maybe it was just something long overdue. Ikki made it a point not to question this night. He was not just holding another boy. He was holding his best friend. And Kazu was not weakening as he let himself go. He was silently thrusting trust onto the crow. Ikki figured that this was the way it should have been from the start.

Without really thinking - because _why not?_ If you want to,_ why not? -_ Ikki lowered his head, about ready to rest his chin atop Kazu's fair locks when the jet finally squirmed out of his hold, wiping his face vigorously and then standing tall. His face was clear of any distress previously shed and dismissed to be forgotten. Ikki knew Kazu hated himself right then, but he couldn't bring himself to offer any more comfort. He wasn't sure what Kazu wanted anymore.

"I need to be alone for a while," he said stubbornly.

Ikki almost lost his balance. After all that, Ikki's questions were still left unanswered, and Kazu was _still_…

It wasn't long before the jet was running, flying, with full knowledge that Ikki wouldn't be able to follow him. He gave chase regardless, red flags waving in his head and heartstrings wrenching in his chest.

_Don't let him go! _

His arm stretched out as if he could catch the lightning bolt Storm Rider. As expected, he only grabbed air.

The feeling in his chest suddenly getting hot, Ikki screamed Kazu's name at the top of his lungs in attempt to stop him, neck burning with the strain.

It wasn't that Kazu was defenseless. It was his short fuse, his low confidence and constant lust to prove himself... To tell the truth, Ikki always thought Kazu to be just a little... emotionally unstable. Anyone could see it, really, if they looked. And that's probably what worried the crow the most.

Ikki looked up to the sky, looking for answers that wouldn't come. It was a full moon tonight, bright and gloating in all its glory. Yet somehow, Ikki still couldn't help noticing just how lonely the moon looked that night.


	14. Tell It Like It Is

**A/N: **omg so many long reviews !! You guys rock so hard !!

Ok let's see.. I can't think of much to say this time around. It may be cuz I'm so gosh-darn sleepy right now. I mean, my comments are more or less going to be the same as usual: "I think this chapter sucks blah blahhh" but yeah... Maybe I should stop apologizing since if there are ever parts that are slightly OOC, you guys seem to eat it up anyway :P

I wanna shove some credit over to **kitten chan **who so kindly helped me write a little bit of this chapter by shooting me ideas and concepts to add in. Thanks hun!

Hummm...which reminds me, I'm still open for suggestions that the readers may have. As I've stated in earlier chapters, I will look over and _consider_ all. You are my readers, and I want to hear what _you _want to read!

**Warnings: **language, me writing situations I have no idea how to write about, IkkiKazu chapter favoratism, emo Ringo, pervy Sano, angsty Kazu, assertive Ikki, me missing some sort of grammar issue no matter what I do, possible slight OOC from me writing most of this while I was super tired, and when I should have been doing homework. (like right now)

**FaS current stats: **Well.. everyone seemed to like emo Kazu in the last chapter. I find this funny. I'm just sayin'... I've also had a lot of people tell me that this story has converted a number of people into Ikki x Kazu fans. Hahah how fantastic is that !? FaS's last chapter had the second to highest number of reviews, a grand total of 19874 hits, 64 favorites and 65 alerts! XD oh and 3 C2's... which I didn't even know about haha!

Thank you guys so much for all the long, wonderful, encouraging reviews!

**ALt6913: **hun you don't have to worry about good or bad reviews. The fact that you took the time to hit the review button already says enough! Thank you so much for the review and the offer!

**rei yamata: **Thank you! The situation gave me a hard time, honestly, but I feel much better about it now !

**Slifer: **Air Gear cosplayerssssss x.x make me more happy than whats healthy. I hope you had an amazing time while you were there ! Oh the scene between Ikki and Kazu was hard to make believable and fanservicy but I'm glad you feel it was pulled off !

**RoxasIsReal13: **Yussss I live to satisfy! Sorry about the cliffy, there's just something about them that I like. Must be the way my readers squirm XD

**Blizzaris: **(glomp) since day one, your reviews have always made me smile! THANK YOU for grasping that Kazu is not some weakling and lol, yeah, I can't have Ikki just fall straight in love with Kazu, even if they are gay for each other... even if I wish he would already.

**Puddles-dono: **dear god your name is adorable... Anyway, uhm, WOW. Just.. wow.. one sitting? That's impressive. You're impressive. I'm so glad you told me that - it makes me feel so good about FaS !

**BlackFlameRose: **Yeah x.x... I've noticed that too (majority of Ikkazu on ffnet being mine...) but maybe people will catch on and write some! Yusyus your review was quite scattered, lol but I managed to get everything. Thanks so much for your review - it was full of love!

**bempi-chan: **oh my gosh!! You skipped school to read it!? Thats sooo soo bad XD and so cool! Talk about flattery! Ahaha and of course I don't mind! Who am I to tell you what to do?

**AnonyMouse: **hurrhurr, I do love detail... And I'm very picky about the words I use (scuttle, teehee) Try not to worry too much about Kazu running off like that (tsk tsk) cuz this chapter should) hopefully make up for it.

**Jenova-chan: **To be honest, its hard for me to read into drama sometimes too, so I tried to write it in a way that I would want to read it. I see it worked - success ! You're not sadist for wanting that - TRUST me, most if not all readers are the same way. Don't worry, that time will come eventually ;D

**Dark-Princess-Hikari: **fanart, to fanfic, to series, huh? Well thats quite an accomplishment! Thanks so much for your kind words, I'll be sure to keep it up so you don't lose interest haha! Enjoy the series, and be sure to check out the manga as well!

**Peachie-Bunni: **lol that time will come sooner or later (I'm actually getting kinda impatient myself...) and we all have yaoi needs so it's totally understandable. It really depends on the thickness of Ikki's skull though...

**melchan13: **lol you are too cute. I don't think its a matter of Ikki liking emo boys as it is him liking blondes.. Or just Kazu. Yeah... I think that's it right there.

**The Crimson Wings: **Thank you! I'll be sure to try my best !

**DevaGlenn: **Well thanks for taking the time to review I always appreciate it! Glad you liked the chapter !

**Ikichi: **Addicted. Hurmmm I like that word. Yus!! Another IkkiKazu fan - thats great! It needs soooo much more attention. It's such an obvious pairing in my mind; I'm glad I could play a part in influencing you!

**iKat.13: **I want them to kiss about as much as you do. But watching the relationship bloom and blossom is just as good, yus?

**noodle-of-doom: **Thanks and I agree! There needs to be moar !

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**Air Gear**

_a fiction by Crimson Vixen_

**Tell It Like It Is**

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This was it. Today was the day she was going to confess. She'd had enough just sitting on the sidelines and it was time to follow her own advice. She could remember how excited Emiri was when she spoke of her kiss to Kazu's cheek, and how she thanked her and Yayoi over and over for giving her advice and courage. Ringo always liked to believe that _she_ was courageous like that, but so far had done nothing to prove such bravery.

_Tell him before it's too late. Don't let an opportunity pass you by that you might regret. You'll never know how someone feels until you bring it up. _

Yeah, all of that sounded pretty logical. No wonder Emiri felt so empowered. So it was time to add bite to the bark. Though however brave she felt at the moment, no matter how much nerve she gathered in her thought process, the more that time went by, the more that buoyancy started to deteriorate. She was sure that with the rate it was plummeting, she would be hiding under her covers when Ikki finally walked through that front door.

Of course, since it was the night she chose to voice her feelings, it seemed that everyone passed her by _except_ for the one she was waiting for. Mikan had dropped into the kitchen to fix up some quick ramen, sparing Ringo a questioning glance before leaving with noodles in her mouth. She was pretty sure the other girl knew what was up. Ume strolled on by, humming an ethereal tune with a smile on her face and a doll in her hand, pins and needles sticking into its fabric flesh. Rika dropped in and out all night long, tidying the place up and complaining about how she was considering making Ikki do even more chores around the house because he was a lazy slob or… something like that. Of course Ringo was sure Rika would never go through with the threat, especially now that Ikki seemed to be under so much stress. Rika was tough, but not heartless.

After all the hustle and bustle, Ringo finally allowed herself to sit down and relax a little now that the kitchen was empty. Surely Ikki would wander in there first when he returned home, to fill his stomach, unless he went out to eat somewhere else beforehand. Ringo puffed her cheeks and released an agonizingly slow sigh, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair. It was so quiet, she almost started to nod off, until the sound of the front door opening and closing grabbed her attention. Her eyes blinked wide, relieved he had finally returned but suddenly panicking for the very same reason.

What would she say? What would she do? She gave this moment a lot of thought and played out ending scenarios in her head, but she had neglected to consider _how_ to handle the actual situation. Or the possibility that Ikki was already interested in someone else. Although she was sure there were hundreds of girls that had their eye on the crow, her mind jumped to only one other person as true opposition and felt her skin grow hot. Clenching her fists, she forced her voice to steady itself.

"Ikki?"

Ikki made a sound to prove that yeah, he was home, but said nothing. Ringo could hear his feet padding up the stairs and then the sound of a door shutting. Great, he locked himself in his room. Part of her was frustrated; building up all her nerves for nothing, but for the most part she was relieved. Her pretty eyes glanced to the right to look outside the kitchen window, expecting to see the darkening sky and retiring, but instead she saw it was murky with storm clouds, and it was starting to rain. The small droplets started hitting the window, filling the room with a light, comforting tapping sound.

At any rate, she had a few more minutes to prep herself.

But a few minutes turned into an hour, and Ikki hadn't come back down yet. Which was bad, since even after all of her swelling preparation, she was starting to second guess herself.

"Ikki!" she shouted, mainly to herself, lightly slamming a fist onto the table.

After a moment, she could hear the sounds from upstairs, and Ikki appeared in the kitchen, eyes dull and tired looking, like he hadn't had good sleep in days. The crow's gaze set on her and with a swift shift in mood he offered a goofy smile. Ringo smiled back, trying to make this as painless as she could. She hadn't thought about the mood that Ikki would be in when she did this. Come to think of it, there were several factors she hadn't contemplated.

_No_, she mentally scolded herself. She wasn't going to make excuses – she was going to _tell _him and _he _was going to _listen _to her. She didn't know where this would lead them. Would there be tension between the two of them after this? Or a blossoming relationship? A broken friendship? How would that work living under one roof? Maybe if this didn't go over well, they could continue their lives pretending it never happened? She didn't know, and the possible answers scared her, but she'd made up her mind (right?) and she was alone with Ikki. The boy was just staring at her, waiting for her to do something.

Granted, they were in the kitchen; not the most romantic of places but at least there would be no interruptions.

Ringo swallowed roughly, knees locking when she tried to stand up.

"Ikki I need to talk to you."

He looked at her apprehensively, preparing himself for even more bad news to lug around. Right away Ringo was giving him wrong impressions and she had to rethink her approach. She rounded the table to put a hand to his arm. Ikki looked at her hand, then to her, eyes as clueless as they've always been, and Ringo found a strange discomfort in this.

"I don't think there's really an easy way to go about this," she thought aloud, causing Ikki's brows to furrow and his eyes to narrow suspiciously. "So I guess I'll just come right out with it. Ikki, I…"

But she stopped herself, unsure if she could really go through with such a thing. Momentarily, she thought of Emiri and her story, however pithy and quick it was, and the phrase 'actions speak louder than words' really made a lot more sense then it did before.

For the sake of being original, she did not go for his cheek, and she did not make it snappy, and she most certainly didn't run away afterwards. When she leaned forward, inching the boy backwards until his back hit the sink counter, she made sure her lips landed directly on his.

Surely even someone as dense as Ikki could figure this one out.

Just a soft mashing of their lips and she pulled away with her heart hammering her ribcage, demanding to be let go before it had the chance to be rejected and broken.

When she took a step back, she forced herself to look directly into Ikki's eyes, wide and unblinking. Ikki's hands fumbled on the counter's edge before seizing it, expression questioning the girl's actions as if asking if she meant to do what she did, but things like kisses were hardly accidental.

"You don't have to say anything, Ikki," Ringo said once the silent became too much. Or maybe she just feared the reaction in the end. She centered her hearing on the rain splattering against the window, so she wouldn't have to suffer in the stillness of the room.

She hadn't known what to expect, but this wasn't how it was supposed to happen. Loud, resolute, cocky Ikki was supposed to say something – _anything _– but his lips weren't even moving. She couldn't even tell if his face was disgusted or shocked. In fact, she could no longer bring herself to look at that face. He was being too quiet for too long, and she was sure she had just destroyed whatever chance she may have had with the crow, so she stared back out the window, at the gloomy clouds. How ironically befitting.

"It's getting pretty bad," she said softly, desperate for words to be spoken, even if it was about the increasingly heavy rain.

Ikki finally remembered how to blink then, craning his neck to look out the window with Ringo, a little surprised that it had gotten so ominous in such a short time. He heard the low rumble of thunder and then the quick flash of lightning. He stared at it for a while, mind trying to think but not being able to, needing the excuse to look away from Ringo, who had randomly decided that it was a good idea to...

That's when it suddenly hit him. He snapped his head to the girl so fast that she jumped.

"How long has it been raining?"

"What? I don't know…" Ringo uttered, a little peeved that the crow seemed to be avoiding the subject altogether. "A half an hour? Maybe longer."

"Anyone come here since I've been back?"

Ringo's gut twisted into something worth gagging over, but she compelled it to settle.

"No."

"Shit," Ikki mumbled under his breath. "Idiot."

Ringo pressed her lips together in restlessness. It was almost like Ikki was ignoring her completely. As much as she felt for the boy, she hated him for it. Boys were so damn insensitive sometimes and Ikki was a prime example of it. They may not do it on purpose, but it seemed to be common among the male sex.

Ikki was like most boys; immature, egotistical, stupid, hungry and eccentric. He had a lot of energy but was lazy at the same time. He liked to roughhouse and be the best at everything, had a competitive edge and a swaggering smirk to go along with it, he was horny and curious and he liked pretty girls. Along with liking pretty girls, he wanted to touch them and explore them and be adored by them. So why was he acting so strange when she showed affection? Was it too weird for him? Was she too direct?

No… Ikki liked direct. Maybe she wasn't the kind of pretty that he went for. But while her mind scrambled around the issue, Ikki's mind seemed to be elsewhere.

"That idiot!" Ikki bellowed again, racing for the front door and flinging it open. It was raining even harder than he'd thought, and a bolt of lightning fleetingly lit up the sky in a warning. "I'm sorry, Ringo. Another night."

And he ran out the door and into pouring rain, sucking in a breath through his teeth when he felt how freezing it was. The wind was picking up, throwing his thick bangs around and slapping the already wet strands against his forehead. The remorse was already starting to swarm in his chest for leaving Ringo behind so quickly with so many queries about what had just transpired. He was no idiot – he knew it was a matter that needed to be handled, but the timing was all wrong. There were other things that needed to be taken care of at the moment.

He may have been over-reacting, somehow, but he kept running, ignoring the way the bottom of his jeans were starting to soak and how heavy his jacket was starting to feel. He kept apologizing in his head – sorry Ringo sorry Ringo sorry Ringo – like a mantra to the rhythm he found with his feet when they hit the ground. He wriggled his lips a little, remembering the touch of Ringo's lips on his, before he brought his attention back to where he was.

He ceased his running once he reached the place he'd last seen Kazu.

This was all quite crazy, really; running out in the rain like a nutcase in search of something that might not even be an issue. Still, Ikki thought back to earlier that day and recalled the place he'd caught him (he'd caught him here, right here) and the spot on the wall that caused the fall (there, his feet slipped right there), and the direction that Kazu had run, (that way) and he went in that direction. It was only a few blocks later that he came to the park, abandoned and almost invisible in the hazy curtain the rain had created. Ikki had to squint to make out the figure sitting alone on the bench but recognized it almost immediately.

The boy looked drenched, soaked right down to the bone. His clothes clung to his skin, revealing just how painfully thin he really was. Pale skin glistened in the rain, hat heavy with moisture and hair plastered to his face, shadowing his eyes so Ikki couldn't really see them. Maybe Kazu didn't want him to. All he could see was the other boy's shivering body, his rapidly bouncing legs and twitching fingers, chattering teeth and rain dripping heavily from his thick lashes and blue lips, which were twisted into some unnatural and insane looking smile.

"Kazu," Ikki somehow kept his voice from shaking in... whatever it was he was feeling. He didn't really have anything to say – what _could _he say? – it was more like a confirmation, like he had to say his name to make sure he was really all there. Ikki wanted to reach out and touch the other boy just see if what he was seeing was indeed real, but he couldn't help feeling like the blonde would disappear if he did.

The sight of his childhood friend looking so broken chilled him. It was like a silent cry for help that Kazu would push away as soon as it was offered. The crow put a hesitant hand on Kazu's head, sliding off the white beanie to reveal his mussed hair.

The blonde barely seemed to notice it, but after a minute he slowly looked up at Ikki, stiff and sluggish like it was hard to do, and he finally saw Kazu's eyes, blank and vacant as they were blue. His clanking teeth grew loud and Kazu, finally conscious of this, sealed his lips to hide it and hugged himself to keep warm. How embarrassing; for Ikki to see him like this – shameful.

Ikki sat down, not only to get the other teen to move, but because his own legs were going numb.

"Kazu," he said again. It was the only thing that his lips seemed to be able to form at the moment. Then Kazu blinked heavily at him; Ikki spotted the deep circles under those baby blue depths, the sickly color of his skin, the slack of his jaw as though he didn't have the energy to keep it shut. Ikki bit his lip.

"Let's... get you out of here, man," he suggested, hoping it would be as simple as he pictured it in his head. All of the nasty things he wanted to say could wait until later. Everything that was starting to grate his nerves about Kazu's increasingly outlandish conduct. He got an offended look instead, and Kazu snatched back his hat and forcefully pulled the soggy material over his head, far enough to cover his brows and cast a shadow just over his eyes. He stood.

"Believe it or not, I can take care of myself," he blurted.

Ikki's eyes narrowed. _I never said you couldn't_ crossed his mind but instead...

"Yeah, I can see that," he grumbled loudly, equally defensive. "We're friends, and friends are supposed to watch each others backs."

"No, stop trying to play hero," Kazu seethed, holding out a hand to stop him. Looking into his eyes, Ikki could actually see the blonde's thoughts shift. "Everyone thinks you're so amazing. And I'm – !"

Kazu choked on his words, not meaning to say things out loud that hurt to hear.

Ikki had to bite his tongue as he watched Kazu churn. _That's right. Always concerend about what everyone else thinks..._

"I don't need a hero!" He shouted, turning on his heel, fists balled. "And dammit, I don't need _you_!"

Ikki swallowed. What the hell?

He immediately picked up at how Kazu's whole body posture changed and tensed, how his weight shifted slightly. Kazu was going to bolt... He could sense it. He could _feel _it. But Ikki refused to let that happen. Not again.

Quickly Ikki flung himself forward, falling nastily to the ground with the hasty impetus and grabbing at whatever he could, managing to latch onto Kazu's pant leg just as the boy was taking off, and the blonde plummeted to the ground, hands scraping against the concrete, jeans tugged an inch or two lower on his waist and face splashing unceremoniously in a puddle.

To Ikki's surprise, Kazu didn't struggle, he didn't move or curse, he hardly breathed. He didn't even make an effort to pull his mouth and nose all the way out of the puddle, his submerged eye closed lightly and the other half lidded.

Growling, Ikki grabbed his friend by the shoulder and rolled him onto his back, cursing the rain but mostly him. Kazu's mouth parted slightly, eyes fluttering into slits of dazed wonder, as if water falling from the sky was an amazing new discovery. As if he just didn't care anymore. The crow grumbled incoherently under his breath, sliding off his glove and resting his hand onto the blonde's forehead.

Just when the hell did things get so fucking intricate between them?

"_Shit..._" he spat, gliding his hand across Kazu's burning temple and down his flushed cheek before replacing his glove. Carefully he slid his arms under Kazu's and lifted the other boy up onto his feet. He was like dead weight at first, then it slowly started to register to the blonde what was happening. Ikki took a hold of the jet's arm and swung it over his shoulder for support, and Kazu started walking alongside him, seemingly to have already forgotten their small quarrel. If he didn't know any better, he'd say that Kazu expected to be left out there.

Ikki put his free hand around Kazu's petite waist to keep him balanced and started their long trudge home, pissed off he didn't think to grab an umbrella. Pissed off he left Ringo alone and angry and more than likely hurt and confused. Pissed off about _everything _that had been going so horribly wrong lately and how some of it was Kazu's damn fault.

Thankfully, Kazu kept his mouth shut and kept a steady pace with the crow as they trudged back home. Ikki mentally counted down the blocks as they passed them, unable to explain how relieved he felt when he finally set eyes on his house. When he got to the front door, he turned the knob and gently kicked the door in with his foot. Kazu stumbled a little with the first step inside, and Ikki quickly tightened his hold him, heaving him up the stairs and into his room.

He was sure Ringo was still around somewhere, and he intended to find her just as soon as this was taken care of.

He dumped Kazu on the bed, mindful of the jet's stipulation and not finding the energy to particularly _care_ that it would get the sheets wet. Kazu slowly rolled his head around in the pillow, body adjusting to the warmth and comfort now enveloping his body. He let his eyes close and waited for sleep, but Ikki had other plans.

He swiped Kazu's hat up and threw it to the floor. Ignoring Kazu's now wide and questioning eyes, he then yanked off the boy's shoes and socks as well.

"What…" his cracked voice faded away softly, but suddenly Ikki had grabbed him by the front of his hooded sweatshirt and pulled him into a sitting position. Then he took a hold of the fabric at the bottom of his shirt and jerked it up and over the blonde's head. Kazu gritted his teeth and made a shuddering sound as he was stripped down to his undershirt.

"I think I've been pretty lenient," Ikki grumbled loudly, getting a good handful of Kazu's pants and giving a giant pull down, and Kazu instinctively recoiled, pulling his legs in and scurrying back on the bed, trying to pull up his soggy jeans.

"I've been letting a lot of things slide." The crow kept saying, catching Kazu's ankle and pulling him close again so he could regrip the boy's pants and get them all the way down. Kazu wasn't making it very easy though. For being so heavy and flaccid moments earlier, his limbs were flailing quite gallingly.

"I even kept my mouth shut about some things."

He kept tearing at the blonde's skin and clothes, rough but careful all the same so as not to agitate whatever sickness Kazu had picked up, and in turn, Kazu kept twisting away, too confused and somewhat alarmed with Ikki's aggressive actions.

"But lately," he snarled. "_Kazu." _

He captured the damp denim of Kazu's jeans once more.

"You're really,"

Tug.

"_Really_,"

Pull.

"…starting to _piss me off_."

_Riiip_!

Kazu gasped when Ikki finally hauled his jeans all the way off, – Kazu stopped struggling when he heard the fabric stretch and tear – stripping him down to just his damp boxers and undershirt. He tried to say Ikki's name, but those dark eyes were so fierce and so irate, and he was so cold and so soggy that he couldn't really focus on anything other than his own exposure. He flung his arms around and over himself, trying to block himself from Ikki's eyes.

The crow reached forward and took a firm hold of Kazu's undershirt and tugged that off with little effort. Now the only things remaining were Kazu's boxers and a select few bandages. Kazu had apparently been sloppily changing some of them himself.

"Ik…Ikki!" Kazu was finally able to exclaim, sounding a tad stuffy and extremely mortified as he clutched the side of his head with one hand. Then when he felt the cool air against his bare wet skin, he did his best to hide the parts of him that the bandages didn't conceal; hugged his body, lifted the sheets up to serve as a shield; whatever he had to do to keep Ikki's eyes away from all the horrific, embarrassing marks that plagued his body. Perhaps they were not as bad as he was thinking them to be, but they were still visible, and he couldn't stand to have people like Ikki bear witness to them. "Ikki."

"If you fall asleep in wet clothes, you'll get sick," Ikki said, digging through Kazu's things, still in the suitcase and up against the wall, and grabbing a long sleeved black shirt. He threw it at Kazu; it landed comically on the blonde's head. "I understand if you need some time to think. And I want to say that I don't give a rats ass if you give up on AT, or if you want to keep secrets from me or even if you go out and got into a fight or _whatever_, but shit, man, don't be stupid."

Kazu didn't have time to sit and figure out the double meaning in Ikki's words, if there even were any or if he was over thinking things, because apparently the crow wasn't content with just tossing him a shirt – no, he had to see it put on. Hesitantly, Kazu dressed himself, well aware of Ikki's eyes on him and it only made him dress faster. When he pulled his head through the proper hole, Ikki flung some more clothes at him – a fresh pair of boxers, sweatpants and socks.

"Get dressed," Ikki said. "I'll be back in a little bit."

As he prepared to leave the room, Kazu told him to wait and then said his name again, and this time, Ikki found himself stopping at the sound of it. He slowly turned back around. Kazu was already standing, pulling on the fresh articles of clothing and closing the distance between them. He stood close, but not too close, very much aware of the shortness of Ikki's fuse. Still, he had to know.

"Did you really mean that?" Kazu pressed.

Ikki stared.

"Huh? Mean what?"

Kazu paused, fingers fidgeting.

"If I ever gave up on AT, would you really…"

Oh.

Ikki had to battle the mean words that wanted to rush out of his mouth. Out of all the things he'd said, it seemed almost natural that Kazu would focus on a single thing - that one in particular - and the crow nearly felt stupid for not expecting it.

Kazu hugged his arms as if he was cold, visibly regretting bringing it up at all, and he shook his head to clear it.

"I'm just being stupid," he said nervously. "Forget I said anything."

And as if that was all there was to it, as if he could just ignore it altogether, Kazu pushed it into the back of his mind and tried to walk past Ikki, but the crow would have none of it. He was tired of… _everything_. So when Kazu tried to get through, Ikki jabbed his palm into the blonde's chest sharply, shoving him back. Ikki didn't miss the way Kazu swayed on his feet when he staggered back.

"What the hell is your problem!?" Kazu barked, voice stern but soft. When he stubbornly tried to get by again, Ikki didn't push him. If he did, the jet might just fall flat on his ass. No, instead Ikki put his hands to the blonde's shoulders and backed him up until he fell onto the bed. Ikki placed the breadth of his palm over Kazu's face to both check his temperature and shut the kid up before he could even _think _of speaking.

"If you honestly believe that I'd overlook something like you giving up AT, I'm not giving your stupidity nearly enough credit," Ikki mumbled hotly, removing his hand to let the boy breathe before continuing on an afterthought. "You're not thinking about it, are you?"

"No!" Kazu exclaimed quickly, regretting it the second his head started to pound with the sound of his own voice. He forgot everything in a moment and gripped at his head. When the pang in his temples dimmed, he looked up at Ikki with a bothered glower. "You're the one that said it."

"I swear, you either think too much, or don't think at all."

"Shut up."

_God_, Ikki really didn't have the patience he needed for this. With an exasperated sigh, the crow sat on the bed, rubbing at his eyes. He needed to get into dry clothes himself soon or he'd just be contradicting himself. He had a pretty good immune system; never really got sick much, but wet clothes were still uncomfortable.

"When did you get so damn difficult?"

"Excuse me?" Kazu retorted, finally succumbing to the hex of fever. He gently shimmied up the bed to rest his head on the pillow. Speaking back in a loud voice was no longer appealing.

"You heard me," Ikki said. All the blonde had been doing lately is getting under his skin and rising suspicion. So even if the guy wasn't at the top of his game, Ikki was done playing mister nice guy. Kazu liked it when people were direct, didn't he? "We never used to be like this."

He waited for the snappy reply, or that smack to the arm. Kazu didn't even get defensive on the matter; he slowly forced himself back into a sitting position, smiling fondly at his hands as they timidly fiddled.

"Yeah," he said. "I know."

Sometimes, past Kazu's obdurate and self-doubting persona, Ikki forgot just how perceptive he could be.

"So what happened?"

"I'm… not sure," the blonde admitted with a light shrug. Then after a moment, he nudged Ikki with his elbow. "I'm sorry."

And just like that, Ikki couldn't bring himself to keep being mad at him, no matter how many reasons he had. There were still things to discuss, mysteries to solve, and as much as he could take advantage of current circumstances, he took another glance at Kazu's fever-flushed cheeks and decided that tomorrow was another day. Words and possibly fists were bound to fly, and Ikki preferred to have Kazu swing at him in full health.

--

* * *

--

"Ringo."

She jumped when she heard her name, heart thumping fiercely. Turning around, she saw Ikki standing in her doorway, leaning his weight against the frame and arms crossed tightly over his chest, squaring his shoulders. His lips were jutted outwards, probably chewing at the insides of his mouth in thought or nervousness. Whether he was preparing to reject or accept her and her feelings, it was anxious work.

Ikki, as prompt as he liked to get things over with, spoke brusquely. There was a chance, he knew, that he was carrying frustrations with Kazu's predicament over to Ringo's situation. However, with things going so wrong lately, he couldn't help wanting to get as many things out of the way as he could in the shortest amount of time possible, no matter how ugly it got.

And that very logic sent waves of guilt through his system, so he silently apologized before speaking.

"I… don't know what you want from me," he winced when he saw the hurt look in Ringo's face already. Strangers were easy to hurt, but people you knew well – people like Ringo – were hard to look in the eyes when you told them something that might bring tears to their eyes. Ikki knew this all too well, more so now than ever. Still, he forced himself to move on. He started, so he would finish. "Listen, I will always care about you."

There was a gurgling in his stomach; he never enjoyed sounding so sentimental to other people. Girls were creatures that needed to hear those words, though, or else they would never feel satisfied.

He closed the distance between them and put his hand over Ringo's, making sure she was looking at him when he spoke. Girls did that, too. They bore into your eyes as if they were searching inside your soul; a rather uncomfortable feeling, really. Yet Ikki let her do so, and he returned the gaze. The girl blushed when their fingers touched, and Ikki rushed his next words out before she could misinterpret his intent.

"But Ringo, not like that."

It stung to even _say _it, let alone see the way it stung _her_. Ikki couldn't say he knew exactly what it felt like to be on the receiving end of a refutation, but he could imagine what it might feel like; a smack to one's self-worth, a few steps down the ladder of confidence. He could see the way Ringo was gnawing at her lower lip and the way her eyes glistened to looked down to the floor.

He managed to refrain himself from saying the ever popular "_You're like a sister to me." _For however much that portrayed his feelings towards her, he knew that a line like that would only damage her further. There was probably a full list of lines or excuses or _things_ he could say to her at the moment, but saying more than he had to didn't seem like a very good idea right now. He hated it when girls cried. He never knew what to do or how to handle it. Most boys didn't know, and that was why they usually didn't say anything at all.

Of course Ikki was one of those boys who truly believed that actions could climb mountains while words rounded anthills, and he circled his arms around her to hold her in a meaningful embrace. She froze at first but then hugged him back, resting her head on his shoulder as she did so.

When they pulled away from each other, Ringo was smiling sadly, relieved that she would always have him in her life but coping all the same that it would never be more than what it already was. She knew it would take some time to fully sink in, and perhaps she would never stop loving him and she was meant to long after something she couldn't have, but on another, more hopeful outcome, there was always a chance that Ikki's feelings would change.

"Just tell me one thing," she nearly pleaded, grasping Ikki's shoulders and returning her velvet gaze into his sharp one. "Is there someone else?"

Ikki looked at her awkwardly. He supposed it was only natural for a girl in Ringo's position to assume such things. Ikki easily shrugged.

"No."

Ringo released a sigh and her features softened gradually, finally letting her arms fall back to her sides. God this hurt. It hurt so bad. But she kept her emotions in check the best she could, staring into Ikki's face, which she expected to be apologetic and solemn but instead appeared cold and callous. It was surprising and… scary.

Even more surprising was the way Ikki stood and turned to leave. Ringo watched his retreating back, wanting to reach out and stop him but knowing she would have nothing to say if she did. She kept staring, even as Ikki turned into the hall and out of sight. She eyed the floor, vision going misty with the frustration she tried to suppress.

--

* * *

--

Ikki took slow strides down the darkened hall, hands in his pockets, and as he walked past Sano, who was cockily leaning against the wall with a smirk on his stupid face, he pretended not to see him. But even as he walked past the older boy, Sano made it a point to speak to him. The crow was pretty sure Sano was just waiting for him to exit Ringo's room, just so he could toy with him.

"Touching."

Of course, Ikki had no choice but to stop. An unnamed nerve had been struck. If it was personal, Ikki didn't know; it could have just been the fact that someone had been listening in on something that was none of their business in the first place. It was bad enough that he had to hurt someone close to him, but someone else had to listen in on it.

Without turning around, Ikki said his peace.

"Shut the fuck up."

He could practically hear the smirk in Sano's voice.

"Temperamental, I see. I suggest you try to keep that temper of yours under control," he suggested. "Lest you let it hinder you in your time of circumspection."

Ikki's shoulders tensed a little more than they already were. He made an offended face, but refused to turn around and let the controller of time to see it. This guy kept popping in and out and warning him to keep his cool. Which in the end only encouraged him to lose it.

"Care to enlighten me on that little sentiment?" Ikki bit stiffly.

The haughty chuckle that reached his ears didn't do much for Ikki's mood. Sano pushed himself off the wall and stood just behind the smaller boy, putting a lithe hand on Ikki's shoulder. He leaned down just enough to whisper into Ikki's ear.

"I could have sworn you said you could handle everything yourself," he said, and it was enough to urge Ikki into turning around. "And yet…"

Ikki glared treacherously. He knew exactly what Sano was getting at, and it pissed him off he would have the nerve to even hint about such things. Kazu was involved now, just like he said he wouldn't allow, but he was safe and in bed now so what was the problem? Ikki decided to fight back.

"Like you would know anything about looking after your comrades!" he whispered harshly. Then he mumbled as postscript; "I keep an eye out for my team mate's best interests. _You_ don't even let people sleep at night."

"Oh?" Sano said, his arching brows showing that he was perplexed. "Do go on."

Ikki didn't want to get into things like this right now, and he wasn't sure why he'd even brought it up - perhaps the thought of Kazu in bed triggered the memory - but Sano was pushing, and he was irritated, and this night had already gone to hell as it was.

"For your information, you drove Kazu up to my room the other night because you were being too loud for him to get any sleep."

And Sano chuckled again. This resulted in another glare on Ikki's part.

"Is that what he told you?"

With an insufferable smile, Sano just continued his chortling and turned the other way, shaking his head farcically as he descended the stairs. Ikki blinked after him once, twice, three times before he found the nerve to shout anything at all.

"Just… what the hell does that mean!?"


	15. No Need For Heroes

**A/N: **I'm not giving Ikki and Kazu's vulgarity nearly enough credit. I realized this as I was rewatching my Air Gear DVD's in english.

I'm uploading this chapter on three set reasons. One, I hope to cheer up one of my dearest friends with an update. And two, I just came back from Ohayocon, and was blessed enough to be able to talk with Kazu's voice actor over the phone. Somehow I wanted to update after that. Aaaanndd I just haven't updated in a bit, heh!

**Warnings: **the usual, grammar stuff. Uhm rushed posting. The anime writes Eastside Gunz while the manga says Eastside Guns. I'm sticking with Guns.

FaS's latest chapter had the most reviews of all the other chapters. (43 as of this moment in time) Its so many that I have to keep the responses as short as I can. I was going to cut them out altogether, but I didn't want to do that to you. We're almost to 200 reviews!!! By the way, thank you all so much leaving such long and wonderful comments. Several people have thanked me and Kitten for converting them to the IkkixKazu pairing and do you have ANY idea how happy that makes me? And I've been seeing more and more ikkazu fics on ffnet.

Help me share the IKKAZU LOVE!

So on that note..! (I'm bunching them together to save space I guess? So messy... Find your name!!)

**Emi-Sue:** suspense no more! They're back **Yukimiya: **glad you like! **ALt6913: **Sano is so fun to write! **Slifer: **I felt bad for Ringo but Ikkazu is just written in the stars. **Peachie Bunni: **I wish I could have but it would have been moving too fast. Everyone'll wise up eventually. **fox in the rough: **I know sometimes I wonder just what Kazu's folks are like 'coz he's always alone :( **melchan13: **You're right, you should never stop writing! You're amazing! **kairiyumi: **Thanks for reviewing! I'll keep updating if you keep reading! **Zeppelin: **hah thanks! You read it all in one sitting? Amazing! **bempi-chan: **Everyone loves aggressivly suggestive Ikki. It's instict. **Tohru Daihikashousha: **Sano gives me a chance to be witty and smart and rude at the same time. **Massie: **lol favorite chapter? thanks so much! **Jenova-chan: **I told Kitten chan your wonderful words. Me and her are both very appreciative - thanks! **rei yamata: **Writing Ikki and Ringo's scene was terrifyingly hard, so thank you for your words! a pic? I'm so happy! **BlackFlameRose: **God I love long reviews. I wish I could return the favor but thank you muchly! You may write a fic? I'll read for sure! **darkemyst: **wow, thank you for the compliments on my word choice. I'm very picky about it. **Puddles-dono: **No, Kazu's got it bad right now, and it'll be getting worse soon enough. He's just too easy to mess with. **Person Persona: **lol dance away, heres another chapter. **Kitten: **How come your long and lovely reviews always get cut short :( I love you dear - I updated faster than I should have mainly to cheer you up! **FallenAngelKiya: **Kitten's stuff is amazing, right? I don't write Ikki and Kazu, THEY do, so I dunno when they'll wise up. **mystri: **never feel too shy to share ideas hun! Thanks for the review! **fallenangel: **first review ever? omg I'm the first? That feels so amazing darling, thank you from the bottom of my heart. **maruchan: **the way Ikki shows concern is really cute, isn't it? I think both Ringo and Emiri are gutsy in their own way.** Sagri: **nonstop, huh? I'm actually glad you mentioned you think the fic is a bit sad, I kinda want it to be on certain levels. **AvariceWrath: **aha everyone wants them together now, I think I may be torturing you all too much. **AnonyMouse: **hey dear, how are you doing? Your review was just... so adorable and thank you so much! **Ikichi: **I hope this chapter is just as addicting for you! **Incarn: **you love it and you never seen Air Gear? That says a lot right there! Thank you thank you thank you! **iKat.13: **I had to get Ringo out of the way so things between Ikki and Kazu can progress. I only WISH this was a movie... **Katanari: **well thanks a bunch! **Crystal Serpent: **lol sorry about that. But if I don't throw in fanservice, readers will never survive until that moment actually happens. **Endless Eclipse: **I guess I'm just my own worse critic. in one day, you say! brand new, loyal fan... I love you! **Tristripe: **Isn't her art just to DIE for? another fan falling in love without knowing the series? That makes me feel amazing. **Flarrua: **I hate writers block.. I hope by the time this is updated, you'll have your spark back! I'd love to read! **Marshiemallows: **looks like me and Kitten are doing our job. welcome to the world of ikkazu. its so very very refreshing. **Sladinji: **I hope the wait wasn't too long for you. **Misguided Angel of Death: **I just love you for taking the time to review! Hey, I have no qualms about AgitoxKazu, though I'm 'grrr' with AkitoxKazu. that weird? ah well, ikkazu has my heart in his amazing clutches. **HopelessleyxXxLost: **ANOTHER new person!? episode 17 is amazing and gives people a glimpse of how amazing Kazu actually is. **Ptolemy: **people are going through such lengths to read this! thank you so much! **Jen Sweden: **Aw you're so sweet, thanks! **T.J.: **...I must thank Kitten a thousand times for giving me readers. Thanks for reviewing - I hope you're giving Kitten love as well! **Tinkob: **trust me, I scream at them to kiss all the time and I WRITE the dunderheads. thank you

I hope I got everyone, and OK so... that didn't end up being as short as I wanted.. Ah well...

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**Air Gear**

_a fiction by Crimson Vixen_

**No Need For Heroes**

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He was having a pleasant dream. Of course now that he was awake, he wasn't entirely sure what that dream _was_; just that it was pleasant, and it had been interrupted by something. Or rather, someone.

Ikki didn't have to guess; he just knew. Even on the edge of the bed and facing the wall with one hand tucked under his pillow, Ikki could feel rustling on the bed, and small, pathetic whimpering from behind him. With a heavy sigh he forced himself to roll over and sure enough, there was Akito, tossing and turning and aggravated on the opposite side.

_The bed was only made for one person_, Ikki wanted to say. Or… _I don't remember saying, you know, hop on in._

He met the smaller boy's eyes questioningly, too tired to really voice his thoughts. At least not until he swallowed to wet his throat. Akito scooted closer and wrapped a small arm around him, attempting to spoon but finding it difficult with Ikki's body curving towards him instead of away, making it hard _to_ spoon or cuddle. It's not that Ikki didn't feel bad for him, and it wasn't like sharing his bed with someone was out of the question or anything. It was just nice to have a little heads up, at the very least.

"Ikkiiiii," Akito whined. "I can't sleep."

"And now, neither can I."

Ikki wasn't sure if Akito knew what sarcasm was, even if Agito seemed to thrive off of it. Whether or not Akito caught it though, didn't matter. He kept smiling sleepily, inching a foot over to rub it against Ikki's leg, and Ikki woke up a little more.

"Why can't you sleep?"

"Too much noise."

"Uhnn?

Ikki paused, freezing what little movement he had been making, putting a hand to Akito's shoulder to signal for him to do the same. When all was still, he strained to hear through the darkness, but heard nothing. He then eyed Akito.

"Huh!" Akito giggled. "I guess it stopped."

"Right…" Ikki mumbled drowsily, rolling back to face the wall and forcing Akito to momentarily pull back. But when Ikki was resettled, the other boy wasted no time closing the space between their bodies and wrapping his arms around the crow's waist.

Ikki wore boxer shorts to bed, and nothing else. He loved the freedom he gave him, and he loved the coolness of sheets and blankets against his bare skin, and not that he _hated _having another warm body pushed up against him, fully clothed, but Akito shifted and moved a lot in his sleep. Ikki didn't appreciate the rub of fabric very much.

A small intake of breath.

"Hey Ikki?"

The brush of a sleeved arm gliding up his side to get his attention.

"Hmm?"

"That day at the park…"

Something tingled in Ikki's gut and he squeezed his eyes shut a little tighter.

"Go to sleep."

He wondered if that would work, or if Akito – or if anything Agito, should he choose to step in with his two cents – would call him on it, but at least for the moment, Akito was still, and Ikki tried to take advantage of it to try and sleep; hopefully it would claim him quickly and if Akito moved or did anything in the middle of the night, he wouldn't be awake for it. Maybe later when he was up he would regret such a decision but for right now –

"There it is again," Akito piped.

Ikki perked his ears and listened. This time the sound came in just fine, and he sat up on the bed, Akito still sloppily hung around him in attempt to stay close. The crow waited for the sound to return and when it did, he took in a deep breath.

"Fuckin'… What now?"

Not the best reaction, he knew, since the sounds of lurching and painful groaning were all too familiar and he was sure he knew what was going on but he was admittedly grouchy. Still, he lifted himself from the bed, Akito finally falling off of him and sitting on the mattress. Ikki told Akito with his eyes to stay put, and he followed the wretched noises that had driven Akito to his bed again. His steps were slow, unsure, since his mind was only able to focus on one thing.

_I don't need a hero. And dammit, I don't need you!_

Ikki wasn't going to say that those words didn't strike some sort of chord in him, and he could always chalk it up to words spouted without meaning in the heat of battle, or the lexis of someone under the spell of a fever – did Kazu even remember what he had said? And by the end of the night, they were once again on friendly terms, and frankly, Ikki was having a hard time interpreting everything. Still…

_I don't need you!_

That was just how Kazu was, Ikki told himself. He was stubborn and determined and had a severe lust to prove himself and he had to do it on his own or it just didn't mean anything. Ikki knew this was how his mind worked.

But Ikki knew different. Accepting help wasn't weak, needing friends was human, and sharing your problems with the people you know, though not entirely considered manly, wasn't something to be ashamed of. Ikki was sure that sometimes Kazu forgot that he was part of a team, and there was more to a team than sharing a uniform.

Shaking his head, he approached the bathroom, which Kazu was undoubtedly occupying. He turned the corner and saw him; blonde head dipped low into the bowl of the toilet, one hand clutching at the seat and the other on the floor to support himself, grasping at a towel.

Ikki shook his head; this kid just couldn't catch a break, could he? The thought was suspiciously humorous, and he accidently chuckled aloud, causing Kazu to noticeably tense when the sound reached his ringing ears. He didn't say anything, didn't turn around, just remained hovering over the toilet seat, waiting.

Ikki stepped into the bathroom, standing to the side to get a glimpse of the scene before him. There was no need to poke fun or ask questions; it was pretty obvious what was going on, and it wasn't surprising after the events of last night. Kazu didn't get sick very often, but when he did, it was quick, and it was rough.

It was then Ikki concluded that Kazu was nothing but trouble.

"Hey," Ikki attempted, crouching down and feeling his knees crack. He rested his hand on the toilet seat next to Kazu's, the side of his hand grazing the blonde's slightly.

"Hey," Kazu managed back, eyes never leaving the water in the bowl. "I'm uh… I'm sick."

Ikki couldn't help but laugh, shaking his head.

"I see that."

"Sorry if I woke ya up. I was trying not to make too much noise."

"Well, I was sleeping just fine," Ikki admitted, seeing the way Kazu's stomach convulsed under his button up nightshirt. He immediately got up and stood behind him. "Akito was actually the one to wake me up."

Kazu seemed like he had something to say but instead lurched forward and emptied the contents of his stomach, taking in wet breaths and coughing when he was done. He wiped his mouth with the waiting towel and remained steady over the toilet, unsure if the feeling in the pit of his stomach meant anything.

Ikki, feeling completely useless, wanted to help somehow, in someway, so when Kazu leaned deeper, dry heaving now it seemed, Ikki brought his hands to Kazu's face and pulled his golden locks back and held them in place. He listened to him gasp, spit, and groan in frustration while he got sick, before he fell back onto his ass on the tile floor.

"I think…" he said slowly, taking a deep breath and finally looking up at Ikki. "I think I'm done."

"Good," Ikki said quickly, offering a hand to help the other up. "'Coz I'm tired."

"Me too," Kazu said once he was on his feet. "Akito woke you up, you said?"

"Heh, yeah. You have no idea what it's like to wake up to someone hanging all over you and trying to grope and kiss and – eugh!!" Ikki melodramatically shuddered.

"You'd be surprised," the blonde muttered, smiling faintly.

"What's that?"

"Nothing," Kazu shook his head, stretching his limbs and then yawning. Being sick was exhausting work. "I'm heading back to bed"

Of course when he said bed his mind jumped to the couch, and he heaved a heavy sigh. He turned to leave but Ikki grasped his shoulder and turned him back around.

"With that?" he questioned, pointing to Kazu's shirt, which was now stained with the junk that missed the toilet.

"Dammit!"

The blonde frowned, tugging out his shirt to get a good look at the mess. He rolled his eyes and started to dab at the stain with the towel until Ikki spoke up.

"Why don't you just sleep without it."

"What, without a shirt?"

"Yeah. Should feel especially good to sleep without it since you're not feeling so hot."

"I think… I rather keep it on, thanks."

Ikki gave a strange look, specifically to the stain on Kazu's shirt. Ikki was too tired to try to argue and took a hold of the blonde's wrist.

"C'mon. You got clean clothes in my room."

He pulled Kazu through the halls and towards his bedroom, stopping only when he turned the corner and bumped into Akito. The small boy looked up at him with big, pleading eyes.

"Ikki, where did you go?"

Akito's eyes traveled down Ikki's arm, which led to Kazu's wrist, which led up Kazu's arm, and eventually his face, which was blinking owlishly. Kazu could have sworn Akito's lips pursed just slightly for a split second. The shark and the jet held each others gazes until Ikki spoke, gaining both of their attention.

"Well right now I'm heading back to bed. You should probably do the same."

Akito didn't look convinced, hearing the words 'back to bed' and seeing Kazu tailing the crow like a lost child. He crossed his arms and didn't look like he was very willing to step aside. Ikki easily picked up on Akito's thoughts.

"We're just picking something up."

"The bed was so cold-"

"-It'll only take a second…"

"I wasn't sure if you were coming back-"

"Akito, I need to get into the room…"

"We keep getting interrupted… I thought we were gonna-"

"I'm not your boyfriend.

"Why do you give him so much attention?"

"And that means…?" This time it was Kazu who spoke, ending the seemingly endless stream of scattered statements by adding his own question. He wasn't entirely sure why it was _those _particular words that Akito spoke that caught Kazu's interest, or why he had decided to speak up about it, but now both Akito and Ikki were looking at him, as if just remembering that he was there in the first place.

Before anyone's mouth could open, a door did, and Mikan poked an angry head out. She didn't bother to question or to care about why the three boys were up, or why two of them were latched onto each other by the wrist. Just that they were keeping her from sleeping.

"Normal people like to sleep at this hour!" she bellowed, ducking back into her room and deliberately slamming the door shut to get her point across. Then, muffled from the other side, she added; "Or at least ifyou're going to do anything, be quiet about it!"

Ikki, Kazu and Akito stood in silence for a moment, all staring at the door as if it would open again. Then Ikki shook his head, lightly putting a hand to Akito's head and turning him towards the other end of the hall.

"Akito," he said softly. "Go to bed."

Akito had no qualms showing how disgruntled he was with such an order, so he pouted a little, silently stomped his left foot and stared unblinking into Ikki's captivating irises as if to look for a change of heart, but none came and Akito regrettably turned away and did as he was instructed.

He only turned around one more time to give a longing gaze at the two of them as they disappeared inside Ikki's room.

"That was a lot more difficult than it needed to be," Ikki mumbled as he started shuffling through Kazu's things. Kazu didn't say anything, just sat on Ikki's bed as he waited. He couldn't say he was bothered by what had just transpired, just that he _did_ feel outlandishly relieved once Akito was sent to his own bed.

"Here."

The crow tossed Kazu one of his clean shirts and crawled into his bed and under the sheets as the blonde hastily changed his top.

"Alright man, I'll see you tomorrow," Ikki slurred, throwing the covers over himself. "Shut the door when you leave, alright?"

The boy closed his eyes and waited for sleep to claim him, but found it odd that he didn't hear Kazu leave, or feel the bed shift, or the door shut for that matter. Ikki rolled onto his back and then sat up, finding that Kazu had yet to leave his bed. The blonde sensed he was being watched, but remained put, stomach giving him a feeling uncomfortable enough to make it difficult to leave.

"I'll be out in a minute," he said. "I just feel a little weird."

"You're not gonna hurl, are you?" Ikki asked carefully, cringing a little at the thought of it. "'Cause… if you are…"

"Could be. I think it might be nerves. Or both," The blonde shook his head, then looked to Ikki, smiling a little. "You can go to sleep, you know"

"Actually, I can't," the crow crinkled his nose. He'd already kicked Akito out, and although Kazu wasn't trying to snuggle with him, having someone sit on the edge of the bed made it hard for him to relax. He stared at the other boy for a moment, intent on asking him to leave without actually… asking him to leave, but instead of willing the blonde to read his mind, he took note of just how stark Kazu's skin looked in the dark.

"You know, maybe you should skip school tomorrow."

Baby blue eyes blinked rapidly at the thought, brows arching only slightly before lowering.

"I'm not so sure about that. I don't know how Emiri would take me missing another day of school."

"What?" Ikki tossed his covers off, by now aware that he just wasn't meant to sleep tonight. Besides, for some reason, his interest had been detained. After all, out of all the people in the world, why was it that he was questioning how Emiri would take it? "Who the hell cares what she thinks?"

"I don't," Kazu defended himself. "I just don't know if I can put up with her mothering me the next time she sees me. I mean, the last time she did that…"

The boy stopped himself and looked off to the side and when Ikki realized Kazu intended to let the sentence hang in the air like that, he couldn't help but be curious. His eyes had adjusted to the dark by now, and he could easily see the blush creeping across Kazu's sickly cheeks.

Interesting…

"What?" Ikki nudged him.

"I-it's nothing. She was just… She was babying me and…"

"That's not it. Tell me."

Ikki knew there was something more. Kazu was sick and tired and unable to lie properly, and since having a problem with a pretty girl pampering you wasn't something that Ikki considered to be a _bad _thing, he had to know what he wasn't hearing.

"Leave it alone, Ikki," Kazu growled, getting a little annoyed and smacking Ikki's suggestively prodding elbows away. "God, you're so..."

"I think you owe me. Keeping me up and everything…"

Kazu whipped his head over to stare at the crow. He couldn't believe the boy was actually compromising this.

"Uh! Well she…" Kazu uttered softly, unconsciously putting his palm to his cheek. "Kindasortamaybe kissed me."

"AHAH she WHAT?!" Ikki exploded in laughter, jumping when he heard a giant thump on the wall from Mikan in the next room. He managed to hush his laughter and gave a good slap to Kazu's back. The blonde spoke up before Ikki could say anything more.

"Shut up! It wasn't a serious kiss so keep it down, will ya!?" Kazu hissed. "And stop laughing!"

Ikki apologetically waved his hand but never wiped the grin off his face. He squeezed Kazu's shoulder and shimmied closer to him, bringing slyly smirking lips up to his ear.

"So how was it?"

Kazu momentarily flailed, shoving Ikki away and immediately regretting saying anything at all.

"It was nothing! Just a peck on the cheek."

"Oh…" Ikki said a lot more calmly, shoulders sagging.

"Oh..?"

"That's not a _real_ kiss."

Kazu blinked, swinging his legs up onto the bed to cross them and face the crow. Although there was nothing to dispute, Ikki almost sounded like he was challenging him.

"Oh and I supposed you know?"

He could only imagine what kind of experiences Ikki had had. What with all the girls at school fawning over him, Simca swaying her hips and puckering his lips every chance she got, and Akito automatically assuming he had a _thing _with the guy and smooching him every time he was within distance, Kazu was sure Ikki had familiarity with all kinds of different kisses. So he was stunned, really, when Ikki said what he said next.

"Not really. I haven't had my first kiss yet."

"Come again?"

"Well," Ikki smiled, tilting his head to the side so he could slide his eyes over to the blonde. "At least not a real one."

Kazu allowed some soft, confused sound to tumble past his lips, though it made little to no sense. He watched as Ikki let himself fall back onto the bed, ankles crossed and hands folded neatly over his stomach. The crow gazed up at the ceiling, as if all the answers were right there, and Kazu did what came naturally and allowed himself to fall onto the bed too, legs up near Ikki's head, and his own head near Ikki's legs. He let his arms rest at his sides and joined the other teen in gazing at the ceiling.

"I guess it really depends on what you consider a real kiss to be," Ikki piped up after a moment.

"Ikki…"

"What? We're both men, right? We can talk about this stuff."

"No I mean… I thought you wanted to sleep."

"I do," Ikki said tersely, then continued on regardless. "I mean, a kiss – a _real _kiss – is something shared between two people. See, ya gotta feel it on both ends or it just ain't legit."

Kazu conjectured quietly if Ikki simply _wanted _to share this little piece of himself with him. And just how many people had the honor of hearing such things? He knew he was Ikki's best friend, but even so, moments like these felt sacred. So he listened intently.

And if what he was hearing was correct, then every time Ikki'd touched lips with Akito or anyone else was something that Ikki didn't even deem creditable; because it wasn't a mutual feeling shared by both parties. So Ikki had yet to have his first, real kiss. …And for some reason, Kazu found comfort in this.

"A peck on the cheek? That's nothing. On the hand? Pathetic," the boy went on, seeming to get lost in himself and what he was saying. He kept his voice low, so as not to disturb the other residents of the house, and the way he was whispering, Kazu felt like he was being told a secret in confidence. "I'll know what it happens though."

Kazu couldn't _help_ but wonder aloud.

"Yeah? How's that?"

"My feet won't be touching the ground," Ikki said, smile evidence in his voice. "My first kiss will make me feel like I'm flying, so I can't feel the ground beneath my feet."

For someone who acted so tough and for someone who was always so brazen and cool, Ikki sure was a…

"Sap," Kazu huffed. "That's one of the corniest things I've ever heard in my life."

_And one of the most amazing._

"Can it."

"I'm just sayin'…"

"What about you?"

"What?" the blonde tensed momentarily before sighing softly. "I don't know. I never gave it much thought. I guess it'll just be a spur of the moment kind of thing. Like I won't see it coming. I'll just be living my life and then, _bam!_"

Kazu blushed when he realized how animated and passionate he was getting, sounding just as wishy-washy and stupid as he accused Ikki of mere seconds ago. He shook his head and laughed at himself for acting like that, and tucked his hands behind his head.

"Like you're flying, huh?" he burbled delicately, eyes unexpectedly heavy and starting to fall shut. "Wouldn't that be something…"

Ikki smirked and nodded his head approvingly, turning to his side and tucking an arm under his pillow. It didn't take long for him to realize after a few noiseless minutes had passed, yet again, that Kazu wasn't leaving or even attempting to leave.

"Hey, Kazu…"

But he received no response. Ikki lifted his head just enough to peek at Kazu, who had inexplicably fallen under the spell of sleep already. So much had been happening lately, and Ikki didn't have the energy within himself to bother the other boy by kicking him out. And he didn't dare intrude on a possibly fever stimulated slumber. Besides, as long as he was sleeping, he wasn't bothering him.

So Ikki shrugged it away, deciding to deal with whatever in the morning and sleep on everything for another night. He was a bit more drowsy than he had realized anyway, and sleep was just so much more appealing than anything else, so he welcomed the blissful darkness of unconsciousness, the bed feeling a little warmer than before.

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When Ikki opened his eyes, he didn't recognize where he was, or if he was even anywhere at all. There were no real surroundings, save for the pitch black darkness that enveloped where the ground and sky should have been.

There was nothing, no one, at least not that he noticed at first. He could hear noises from behind him and when he turned he could make out the shapes of several figures and ever so slowly, an atmosphere started to mold around them.

Ikki's first instinct was to approach these shapes, which he did so without hesitation, recognizing one of them as Kazu straight away. He was doubled over, on his knees and hugging his stomach while he cursed bitterly. He watched in revolt as they shoved the blonde to the ground, the lot of them kicking him while he was down and never giving the boy a chance to get to his feet to fight back. Ikki stared as Kazu threw his hands over his head to protect his face.

The other figures standing around them started laughing, and Ikki nearly recoiled when he realized they had no features; just horrid, blank faces blanketed in shadow. He watched vacantly as they approached the blonde and kicked and hit and knocked him around without giving him a chance to stand and defend himself. Six against one; Ikki didn't like that at all.

Ikki was able to force himself to act after something red started seeping through Kazu's gritted teeth.

"Hey, if you're looking for a fight, here it is!" Ikki growled loudly, coiling his hand into a fist and swinging it full strength at one of the jokers kicking at the boy. But instead of the satisfying crack of his knuckles against bone, he felt air, and he stumbled forward in his momentum, almost falling over completely.

"Hu-what?" the crow hissed, confused. He took a look at his hands, shocked to find them to be transparent and ghost like.

Did that mean he couldn't…

As if to test, Ikki tried again to push Kazu's offenders aside, watching carefully as his hand clearly fell straight through anything he tried to touch. It didn't seem like they could hear him either.

"Hey! _Hey!_ Sons of a bitches!"

But as expected, they showed no sign of acknowledgement, and Ikki watched on as they continued to pound on the blonde, who was still attempting to find an opening to fight back or stand up. He wasn't wearing AT, but he was wearing his Storm Rider garb, and his trademark hat pulled down to his eyes.

"Dammit!" Ikki spat, leaping in between of the band of delinquents and Kazu, throwing out his arms to serve as a shield, squinting his eyes shut to prepare for the blows he knew he wouldn't feel and as fate would have it, their attacks went straight through him and connected with Kazu's crumpling form. Ikki didn't like feeling helpless or out of control, and he directed his anger to the very person he was trying to defend.

"Fuck, Kazu, get the hell up!" Ikki hissed. "I _know _you're not a weakling so don't try to play victim on me!" And although it was proved useless before, Ikki reached out to shake Kazu by the shoulders, astonished when he realized he was actually able to grasp them as the solid essence they were. Ikki felt a small shred of hope shine through. "I've _seen_ you fight. You can take them if you just get off your ass!"

Ikki silently regretted all the times he'd poked fun at the blonde for not being able to fight, and for probably playing a part in the blonde's stubbornness when it came to calling for help and his insecurities when it came to breaking the mold and fighting with confidence. The most frustrating part was _knowing_ what the speed demon was capable of doing and watching such aptitude go to waste.

The crow tightened his hold on Kazu's shoulders and Kazu jerked away from Ikki's touch as though it had burned him, violently twisting out of reach and never once meeting his eyes.

"Get the _fuck _away from me!" he screamed hotly. "I swear to God I'll fucking _kill _you!"

Ikki stood stunned. It didn't seem like Kazu could hear him, but could still _feel_ him there somehow, and that he only had good intentions. Still, Kazu didn't appear to want to have anything to do with it. With him.

Kazu staggered to his feet, face looking angry and determined as he wiped the blood from his lips. He stood tall and proud with his hands balled, looking like a true Storm Rider and former member of the Eastside Guns.

The next few fists thrown the blonde's way, Kazu managed to swiftly dodge. Even without his AT's he was still flexible and quick in both movement and reaction time. Ikki could only play the audience as he watched Kazu maneuver around all the hits intended for him, finally using his speed to avoid them and he started to push back.

Kazu managed to capture one of their flying fists in his hand, and used it to yank his attacker forward, close enough to bring his knee up to his chin. There was a gratifying _crunch_ and blood went streaming out of the brute's nose.

Ikki silently cheered in his mind, wanting to burst in and join in the fight, but his feet were glued to the ground, knees unable to bend and legs unable to move at all. He yelled for Kazu to look out behind him, and even though he knew Kazu couldn't hear him, the blonde whirled around anyway like he already knew, swinging a fist in the air as he did so and landing a good backfist to another gang member's jaw.

Yet even those who were struck and bleeding were getting back to their feet and closing in on him, and with the numbers being so unreasonable, it was only a matter of time before one of them got a good strike to Kazu's head, sending him to the side where another thug was waiting to push him back. They began to audaciously batter him around, once again giving the boy no opening to retaliate.

Ikki bit his tongue. He knew the blonde was capable winning, but he'd told him time and time again that if he ever needed help in a fight, to call for him. Then Ikki blinked, suddenly reminded of a time when he told Kazu this, and what the jet had said in response.

'_Would __**you**__?'_

And Ikki squirmed a little before rolling up his sleeves. Of course not. And it made sense that Kazu wouldn't either.

Kazu raked his fingers across his arms in frustration and stood back on his feet, staring deeply into the faceless brutes as they approached him. Ikki recognized his stance as a fighting one, and was anxious and proud all at once. Kazu was going to fight, and he wasn't going back down.

Yet even though this should have comforted him, even though he knew he was meant to stand on the sidelines and not interfere with a fight that was not his own, Ikki hurled himself at the blonde and wrapped his arms around him to protect him. Even pinning Kazu's arms to his sides with the embrace, Kazu didn't seem to be aware that he was being held onto, only staring dangerously ahead at his opponents.

Regardless of his protective hold, one of the thugs gave a hefty kick that traveled straight through his body and connected with Kazu's stomach, sending him what seemed to be in slow motion, out of his arms and soaring backwards, landing harshly on the ground in a heavy heap. Ikki was instantly at his side, pulling Kazu up into a sitting position by his shirt.

"Ikki," he gasped, blood spilling out of his mouth as he spoke, finally, _finally _aware that Ikki was there. He was speaking to him, looking at him. "I guess I'll never be like you. But… did you see me back there?"

Ikki's mouth worked fiercely, trying to form some type of sound, unsure if Kazu would even hear him if he spoke. Kazu coughed wetly and then forced a smile with teeth stained pink.

"I was kicking ass for a while."

Ikki swallowed the lump in his throat, abruptly feeling the menacing presence of the guys that caused all of this standing just behind him. Without having the time to turn around and face them, one of them took a fistful of his jacket and hauled him to his feet, forcing him to drop Kazu's body to lay uncomfortably on the ground. Ikki chanced a look down on him, eyes shut peacefully and lips upturned in the smallest of smiles.

The crow wasn't sure if Kazu was gone or just out cold, so he just kept staring at his chest to pick up on any movement. He wasn't staring very long before he heard the recognizable click of a gun, knowing full well that it was being wielded by the very same ruffian that was grasping at his jacket.

Ikki didn't even know where the gun was pointed, Kazu or himself, but he just kept staring at the other boy and wondered if it was his fault, if he'd let the boy down somehow. Maybe if he hadn't interfered…

Those were his last thoughts when the gun fired.

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* * *

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"Fuck!" Ikki screeched as his eyes flung open and he tried to sit upright. He didn't get very far, however, since his forehead hit something hard and he fell back onto his pillow. With a tender hand, he cradled his now aching skull.

...It had all felt so damn _real_.

"Ow…"

Ikki's eyes snapped wide at the sound of another voice, finding that Kazu's face was hovering just over his, one eye pinched shut and a spot on his temple turning pink where they'd bonked heads.

"You're alright!?" Ikki blurted, still coping that this was the real world and not whatever nightmare he was just a part of. He couldn't forget it either; he could recall every single detail and could only wonder _why? Why such a dream? Why Kazu?_

Kazu gave him a confused look, nodding his head slowly as though unsure himself.

"God…" Ikki groaned.

He reached up and tightly gripped Kazu's hair on the left side, tugging it slightly to make sure the boy was something tangible. Kazu winced a little, and Ikki released him with a hefty sigh.

"What about you? It looked like you were having one messed up dream, so I thought I would…"

"Yeah, I…" the crow started, before his curiosity got the better of him. "What's with your eye?"

"You _kicked _me!" Kazu stated curtly, brows lowering for a moment. Ikki muttered an apology and then threw an arm over his eyes. He could feel the sweat on his brow and took a deep, shaky breath.

A dream starring Kazu but _why_? Ikki shrugged it off as it being the result of Kazu being the last person he saw and the last voice he heard before losing himself in sleep. A sleep that came easy because he knew he could trust the blonde not to try anything funny.

Ikki gulped, still trying to reclaim himself. He heavily rolled his head over to the side and glanced at the clock, which sent his eyes wide open.

"We're late!" he yelped, scrambling out of bed and dragging the sheets with him, which in turn dragged Kazu off the bed and onto the floor. The boy groaned miserably. Ikki froze momentarily, remembering the events of last night; how Kazu wasn't at the top of his game.

Heh, oops.

"How late are we?"

Ikki looked at the clock again, shoulders slumping when he realized there was no point in even showing up late.

"Too late." Ikki mumbled, scratching at the back of his head, then held up a finger to signal he'd return.

He trotted down the stairs, looking left and right to see any signs of life in the house but everyone was gone. Even the pervert was out, it seemed. He made his way to the bathroom and shut the door behind him. For a while he stared at his reflection, at his eyes as if he were trying to convince himself of something. When he realized it would get him nowhere, he ran the water and gathered some in his hands to splash it over his face. Patting his face dry with a towel, he poked around the rest of the house, finding it to be void of any one else, including the kitchen, save for a piece of paper sitting neatly atop the surface of the counter. Ikki's eyes fell upon his name; it was for him.

He leaned his weight onto the table and read the note.

_I was going to wake you up for school but you and your friend just looked oh-so-comfy sharing that bed together that I decided to leave you two alone. I'm starting to lose track of all your boyfriends._

_For allowing you to skip school, you'll be doing the dishes tonight._

–_Mikan_

"That bitch," Ikki griped, crinkling up the piece of paper with one hand.

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* * *

--

"What? Yeah… he used to be part of a gang called the Eastside Guns before he and his friends took up AT. A real shame though, seeing as the Guns were a pretty cool lot," Kitsune nodded quickly. "I don't see much of him or the guys anymore, 'cept for at school."

"I see," Weaver crossed his arms. "And… this team. Know anything about it? What its call, for instance?"

"I already told you," Kitsune shook his head, grabbing his bike and setting it upright. He wasn't entirely sure he felt comfortable telling any of this information to a stranger, let alone someone as creepy as this guy. And to make things even more suspicious, he was asking about a boy he still had a small crush on. A simple crush mind you; nothing he expected to grow, but there all the same. "I don't see them much outside of school. And if you want to know this stuff, why don't you just ask them yourself?"

Weaver uncrossed his arms and idly started picking at one of his dirty nails.

"Where do you suppose I could find these boys?"

"Beats me," Kitsune said tersely, hopping on his bike and setting it in motion the moment he hit the seat. He waved a hand in the air as he rode off. "I really have to go, sorry!"

Kitsune shivered a little when he sped away, refusing to look back and not being able to shake the horrible feeling he had in his gut. People don't just go around asking questions like that unless they were looking for trouble, and Kitsune himself would admit that he could be a coward at times, so leaving while he could was probably the best idea. Before he said too much.

The whole thing just smelled fishy to him.

For a second, the boy looked behind him while he rode, feeling like there may have been someone there, but chalked it up to being paranoid.

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**A/N: **I hate leaving footnotes at the end of chapters - I always feel like I'm taking something away from the story. I dunno, but I somehow felt the need to share this.

First of all, lol, you prolly thought Ikki was going to kiss Kazu to show him what a _real _kiss was, didn't you?

Eheh anyway, Ikki's dream isn't just a bit of fanservice and Kazu-torture (we'll be getting to that a little later, ya know?), and it wasn't me just trying to fill in the empty spaces between major plot key points. No, I'm a huge believer of dreams being a sign or symbol of something bigger.

Dreaming about being attacked is a warning to use extreme caution for the next few weeks or so. Of course, seeing other people being attacked is a sign that theres a part of your life that is out of balance. Poor Ikki...


	16. Shoot For The Moon

**A/N: **Ok ummmm, I'm aware of how long I took. I'm going to skip right over the excuses, 'coz you probably don't much care for them - and frankly? Neither do I.

If it means anything, the next chapter is 3/4 done.

At first I thought a man wearing a box on his back that contains something akin to spider legs was weird and pushing the limits a little.. But as I mentioned to Kitten, if a boy can create fire with his skates, a man can stop time and a legend like Spitfire can cut hair and still be cool... then a man with spider-legs on his back is TOTALLY normal. So yeah... it's normal. Deal with it XD

Uhmm... I know you're sick of hearing it, but I hate this chapter. No, really.. I REALLY hate it. 'Cept for one scene. The one between Ikki and Kazu - you'll know what I'm talking about when you read it.

I'm very tired. I'm sure I missed a few things in here, but whatever.

**Warnings: **If you don't know the warnings by heart now, you really haven't been paying attention.

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Lots of reviewwwssss. I love you.

**Thank You:**

**ALt6913: **sick Kazu is one of the cutest things I can think of. Toilet-friendly and all that stuff included.

**Slifer: **I'm going to be honest, come right out and say it. I don't really like Akito/Agito. Ikki and Kazu look so much cuter together in bed, ne?

**Marshiemallows: **Yus, light chapter. Much needed since a lotta stuffs gonna start going down in FaS.

**T.J.: **We are all evil fangirls deep down inside. It's okay, darling XD

**Misguided Angel of Death: **Wow! So many wonderful things you say! Yus the english is much more vulgar but somehow it fits. And I am good at Kazu torture. Not sure if I'm proud.

**FallenAngelKiya: **lol sorry, I just thought it'd be funny to tease my readers with something like that. Hurhurr...

**Ptolemy: **I love symbolism (you could prolly figure that out by the prologue.) So you can bet that sooner or later, something will come of that dream.

**Endless Eclipse: **Endy sweetie it appears I beat you on the update! Me thinks this chapter is too short for how long it took me to get it up... but you've been spoiled enough so...

**Blizzaris: **Blizzy my dear I love your reviews to death. We all love bonding moments - you'll _love _the in this chapter.

**melchan13: T**he kiss has to happen eventually! You know that XD

**bempi-chan: T**hank you darling! You're too kind.

**minoki: **Yes, here's your update. Sorry it took so long.

**HopelesslyxXxLost: **lol I just love messing with my readers like that - sorry I had to do that to you, but at least they bonded.

**Puddles-dono: **The dream was actually really hard for me to put together, so thanks. And yeah.. Kazu seems to get beat up a lot. That's my fault. But you love it.

**maruchan: **Don't worry, I plan on seeing this fic through to the end. Your idol? Gosh, don't flatter me so much! (thank youuu)

**MisakiTsuki: A**ll night? I can't believe you'd devote that much time to it.. Your review was wonderful, thank you, and hurray for another fan!

**BlackFlameRose: **oh my I'm not sure how I do it, lol, but I somehow manage to understand your reviews! Here's more!

**TrickyFox: **Thanks, making a story progress is what makes a fic fun and worth while, in my mind.

**AnonyMouse: **I ALWAYS adore your reviews, so so much. So cute! So glad to see you're so into it. I hate this chapter but maybe you'll find something good in here.

**Yukimiya: **I know, for being an Ikkazu fic, there isn't a lot of action, and I'm sorry for that. But it should be happening real soon!

**Sagri: **You and everyone and ME are all looking forward to that kiss, which if things go as I plan, will happen soon enough. I'm going as fast as I can though.

**Jess: **Thank you so much! A short review is still wonderful when it says something as nice as that.

**rei yamata: **5 air gear pics! I'm going to get to see these pictures, right? Pleeeaase? And thank you for the review.

**Emi Sue: **aw I love you too. I love Mikan, mainly 'coz she's shameless when it comes to teasing Ikki, and she doesn't put up with his shit.

**Versus: **such a wonderful review. I know what it's like, not seeing action in the first few chapters can make it hard to continue, so for you to have read this far means a lot to me.

**iKat.13: **don't feel behind, I'M late in updating. I find Akito hard to wright, since I'm not very fond of him, but I love writing the sparks between him and Kazu.

**AdiaAlida: **There are a few pretty boys in Air Gear, but Ikki and Kazu are both the prettiest in my mind, so it works since they're so perfect together XD And Yayoi and Onigiri just sits right with me.

**Jaribo: **ANOTHER new fan? I'm on a roll! I feel bad for Ringo too but... come on, it's Kazu! As for your suggestion, that'll happen soon. I planned on it for a while now.

**Peachie Bunni: **Well, Ikki didn't like his dream very much either, heh. Things are supposed to be getting pretty busy in FaS from here on out.

**Kitchuu: **Thank you! Breakdowns are always hard for me to write, but so so fun. It feels good to know people compliment it cuz it can be hard to do it right. So thanks so much.

**Destiny Lot: **Don't worry, you're not the only one who thought that it was going to happen.

I hope I got everyone. I freakin' love every last one of you.

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* * *

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**Air Gear**

_a fiction by Crimson Vixen_

**Shoot For The Moon**

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* * *

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Kazu's fever had vanished after a full day of uninterrupted rest and warm blankets. And after another day or so, he felt the extreme need to move and stretch his legs. And Ikki, wanting to revive a sense of normalcy in his routine and in his life, didn't wait too long to ask Kazu to head out with the gang for a long overdue practice. The blonde was more than willing to do so.

To Ikki, it felt like it had been forever and a day since they'd gathered at the track for _any_ kind of practice, and he didn't want anyone getting soft or rusty on him. Besides, the practice that he had planned was not only a good way to get back into a rhythm, but it was also just the kind of thing Kazu needed.

Once he'd made his phone calls and gathered them at the track, he lined up his team from tallest to shortest and eyed all four of them.

For complaining so much about not practicing enough, none of them looked very enthusiastic to be there.

Which was why Ikki had already decided that instead of intense workouts and running laps, they'd play a game. One of the most childish, enticing games he could think of.

"Tag," Ikki beamed, slightly disappointed when he got very little reaction.

"You're joking, right?" Onigiri deadpanned, shoulders slouching.

"Does it look like I'm joking, fatass?" Ikki barked right back, crossing his arms and stepping in Onigiri's way when the tubby rider tried to leave. "If anything, you jokers should be thanking me for being so light on you, considering it's been a while."

"For how long?" Kazu piped up, seeming to be the only one unwilling to fight their leader's decision. Ikki knowingly slid his eyes to the side to look at him. He'd had a strong feeling that Kazu would be up for it.

"No time limit. Just go until whenever."

"You dragged me all the way out here from some stupid – !?" Agito screeched, stepping out of line and clenching his fists. He bore his well-known fangs and shook with superfluous rage. "How do you expect to be taken seriously when you're playing a fucking _child_'s game?"

"Get the stick out of your ass, short stuff," Ikki murmured, putting a hand on Agito's angry head and ruffling his hair, obviously rather unoffended or just not phased at all. "I'm in charge, so you do what I say."

"Just because you formed this team… And just because it, _this_, was all your idea," Agito hissed, ripping away from Ikki's touch. "…doesn't mean its a good one."

"Ok," Ikki shrugged, trying not to let the shark ruffle his feathers. "Bad idea or no, you're doing it."

Agito flashed his fangs once more and swatted at Ikki's hand when he tried to bring it close again. Ikki was pretty sure he saw the edge of Agito's lip twitch.

"I don't have to do a fucking thing you say! Its things like _this_ that make it hard for other teams to take people like _you _seriously! If you're just going to mess around – "

"Whoa… take a chill pill, squirt. You can't just have a little fun for one stinkin' day?"

Agito snarled and took a sharp breath to retort, but Kazu pushed past Buccha and Onigiri and stepped between the crow and the shark. He held out his arms to separate the two of them, hand on each of their chests to keep them apart.

"Knock it off," he stipulated, switching his gaze back and forth between them, trying to determine their expressions. Eventually, he made eye contact with the raging shark. "Agito, at least _try _it."

"Tch! _Predictable_," Agito spat, face morphing into pure annoyance towards the blonde. "You of all people _would _say that. An obedient little _dog_."

Kazu swallowed the comeback that was threatening to cut loose when he remembered where he was – in front of friends, in front of Ikki – and _why _he was there. It took quite a bit of willpower to keep his mouth shut but he managed it, making sure not to forget this for the next time he was alone with the little monster. He looked over to Ikki, offering a small smile to show he was game.

Ikki returned the smile, ruffling his hand in Agito's hair rather aggressively, feeling slightly appeased with the way it messed up his hair and forced another _fuck _out of his mouth.

"Right, so… Kazu's it," the crow mentioned idly, ignoring the way Kazu held up a finger to say something about it. "Game starts now!"

Buccha and Onigiri bolted in two separate directions just as Ikki took a hold of Agito's jacket and shoved him towards the blonde. If the guy was really going to piss and moan about not playing a game, he could sit it out after he got tagged first.

Agito cursed as he rammed into Kazu, limbs flailing in attempt to break apart from him as the two of them fell.

"I just helped you out man! That's one down, three to go!" Ikki laughed, running off with a salute.

As Kazu and Agito struggled to free themselves off of each other, Agito found it perfectly acceptable to elbow the jet harshly in the stomach. Kazu let out a solitary cough, winded, and stayed back on the ground as Agito got to his own two feet. By now, Ikki was long gone, and so were Buccha and Onigiri.

The shark looked down at the other boy pityingly, extending a hand to help him up.

Kazu knew he should have known better than to reach for it, but he did anyway, and wasn't surprised when Agito pulled it back at the last second, or snarled the way he did between grinning teeth. He could tell Agito was preparing for another one of his critical, impertinent speeches, a lecture intent on putting him down now that there was an opportunity, but Kazu refused to give him the chance. Agito was a good rider, but he that didn't say much for his lous, pissy personality.

"Hey Agito…" Kazu spoke carefully, running his tongue along his lips to wet them. "You're out."

"What the fuck are you – "

But Kazu had already swung his legs around in a sweep, knocking Agito's legs out from under him and sending him crashing to the earth. He allowed himself a small victory laugh at Agito's expense before getting up and giving chase to the other players. He could deal with Agito later, when he was up for it.

Kazu grinned. He used to play this game all the time with Onigiri and Ikki when they were younger, and he'd always own all the other players. No one could outrun him, even without AT, so when they played, the other players would hide instead. He doubted they would be hiding anymore, but he had a good feeling he was going to end up winning either way.

For a second, he considered how foolish Ikki was, making him 'it.' Then, the more he thought about it, the more he came to understand it. So when he spotted Onigiri after a bit of running around, and the pig sped forward to get away, the blonde actually scoffed. The game was pretty much in the fucking bag.

"You're mine!" Kazu frothed under his breath, grinning wildly as he sped up to catch the running Onigiri. He should have guessed Onigiri would be heading for the girls locker room, but he _was_ surprised to see him pass it right up. Still, he rather enjoyed the way people panicked when he gave chase to them, so he let Onigiri have a bit of a head start before he pushed himself forward and next to the stout boy, slapping him on the back of the head as he zipped passed.

"Out!" the blond shouted, laughing as his friend stumbled forward onto the concrete, looking dizzy and spent. He gave a sharp turn and raced in the direction that he thought Buccha had gone.

The large rider was easy to find, since hiding was rather difficult for his large bulk, and Kazu grinned wildly when he spotted the former Yaou leader sucking in his gut and shimmying between two buildings. It made it super easy to tag him on the arm and Kazu cackled playfully as he did so. He had forgotten what a rush he could get when they trained like this. There was the thrill of the chase, the satisfaction of winning every time, along with the comforting understanding that there was little to no chance of losing.

He didn't slow down after hitting Buccha with a tag, because now he had to track down and get Ikki and then it would be all over. Oh how he loved this game!

Ikki was always the most difficult and most fun to get, because he was stubborn and often did whatever he could to extend the chase. He often claimed that opponents won't always play fair and that he was merely preparing them for such circumstances. Whatever the crow's reasoning was, Kazu got a high off of it - loved the thought and feeling of beating Ikki, and Ikki _knowing _it.

Kazu let his eyes roam as he ran, teeth gnawing on his bottom lip as he did so, until he spotted a cloud of birds fluttering around above the school roof. Those damn birds were always what gave Ikki away, but Ikki's skill and agility made up for it. He may not be as fast, be he had a lot of tricks up his sleeve.

That's part of what made him so amazing.

The jet plane glided up to the school building, craning his neck back to get a good look at the height. Damn, Ikki made sure to give him a work out, at least. There was no way he could climb that wall – that wasn't his forte. So he bolted into the building and started up the stairs as fast as his wheels would take him, provisionally grinding against the walls in short bursts to avoid the stairs, up and up until he reached the door to the roof. He didn't slow down once, bursting through the door and finding the crow right away.

Ikki let out a short laugh, offered a wink and leaped off the building, and without thinking, Kazu did the same after him. He watched as Ikki closed his eyes and spread his limbs; he looked like he really was flying. When the boy opened his eyes, he did one turn, two turns, three turns in the air and landed gracefully on a fence and grinded. Kazu gritted his teeth, unsure he could do the same, simply skipping the tricks and setting himself up for a landing. It wasn't as graceful, at least it felt that way, and once he started to grind, he started closing the distance between them.

The excitement on his face grew almost manic and he reached out his hand to tag Ikki, almost close enough to feel the flap of his jacket, but Ikki jumped at the last second, landing on a rail and then hopping off that onto the concrete sidewalk, rollerblading backwards with his hands in his pockets. He was laughing, seemingly toying with the other boy.

Kazu hummed under his breath – leave it to Ikki to give him a challenge. Hopping off the fence, he gave chase once more. As he moved, his mind started to tick. At this rate he would never catch Ikki. The crow was just too cunning.

So when Ikki turned the corner into a narrow opening, he made sure not to follow him. Instead he entered the building and ran through it to the other side, leaving papers scattered and people startled by the sudden gust of wind, and when he exited he made a sharp turn to the ally Ikki had taken. He had gotten there just in time; Ikki was fast approaching him but those dark eyes fell onto Kazu's light ones at the last second and he jumped over the blonde - Kazu reached up and over his head to tag him but he was just out of reach - and landing on a window sill and leapt from window to window, to the east. And each window he jumped to was higher up than the previous. He was headed skywards.

Kazu cursed. Damn he was good. His speed was worthless unless he found a better way to use it.

And he was sure that on some level, Ikki was teasing him as far as wall climbing was concerned. Maybe he was even trying to coax him into trying it again. But Kazu didn't want to risk looking like a fool, or hurting himself in front of Ikki, so instead of mimicking his leader, he gave chase from the ground, looking up every now and again to make sure the crow didn't try anything funny.

But that was asking a lot, he knew. He wasn't surprised when Ikki took advantage of an open window and slipped inside. Kazu licked his lips and skidded to a short stop so he could rush inside the building as well. He raced up the stairs – fourth floor, he recalled – and froze in the hallway. He perked his ears to hear for any sound that might give Ikki away. But the crow was being deathly quiet. Right up until…

"Give up?"

Kazu didn't answer. He set his weight the second Ikki's voice reached his ears and he headed in that direction before his eyes could even focus. As soon as he turned the corner at the end of the hall, he was almost shocked when Ikki sped past him, going the opposite direction. It was a risky move, getting so close, since Kazu was able to turn about as fast as he could run. Small spurts of fire winked under the blonde's wheels when he made a U-turn, eyes narrowing in on his target.

"I got you now," he muttered to himself, keeping his breathing even as he ran. He never slowed, never hesitated, even when he wasn't sure where Ikki disappeared to when he once again decided to shoot out the window. Kazu hopped out right after the crow, spotting the patch of birds in the sky right away and heading in that direction.

It wasn't that Ikki was faster than him. It was more like he moved a lot, took a lot of turns and obstacles that made it difficult. And as selfish as it felt, Kazu kind of liked it when it was narrowed down to just the two of them. It was like a secret game just the two of them played, where no one else could interfere.

Kazu sped, seemingly stuck in a moment. All that mattered was the game, and catching Ikki, and nothing else. When he caught sight of the back of Ikki's jacket, it was all he could think about as he closed the distance between them with incredible speed. It didn't look like Ikki knew he was there yet, and so Kazu threw himself forward, his chest hitting Ikki's back and his arms encircling around the boy's waist as he screamed in victory.

"Out!"

Ikki's eyes widened in surprise as they tumbled forward and rolled along the ground and when they finally stopped, his back was to the ground and Kazu was on top of him. The blonde had one of the biggest smiles Ikki had ever seen.

"Ha, I win," the jet boasted.

"Yeah, you win," Ikki repeated in mid cough, using his forearm to shove the blonde off of him. "Get off."

Kazu rolled off to the side and rested on his back, next to Ikki, and gazed up at the sky. The sun had yet to set but it was well on its way; the sky was starting to darken.

"I guess the others are pretty pissed off right now," Kazu mentioned. "Dragging them for training and then disappearing on them."

"Probably," Ikki agreed calmly. Then after a moment or two of nothing, they both burst out into laughter, heads rolling back and forth and hands clutching at throbbing stomachs. Once they calmed down, Ikki propped himself to all fours, then to his knees. "I'll have to make it up to them."

"Well hey. Let me catch a breather."

"Tch, like you need one."

"Hang back for a bit with me anyway."

Ikki thought about it for a second, then shrugged, collapsing right back where he was before, arms and legs spread out and taking up more space then necessary.

Kazu scanned the sky, admiring the pinks and purples that tinted it near the horizon line. Then his eyes stretched a little further to the side, where a familiar sight waited for him. Metal and crossed and dented just like he remembered.

"The… the fence?" He questioned aloud, getting to his feet and wandering over to the barrier. He brought his sky blue eyes back to Ikki. "You didn't… Did you take me here on purpose?"

Ikki blinked wildly, getting to his feet as well and meeting Kazu at that wretched fence.

"Maybe," he said. Originally, he was going to save it for another time, but thought that since they were so close and it was convenient, there was no harm. And besides… "I kinda wanted to show you something. Mainly because it gets on my nerves."

The jet gulped; he had a feeling where this was going. He watched Ikki lace his fingers through the lattice of wire and look up towards the sky.

"I think I figured it out; why this place bugs you so damn much," Ikki spoke like he had all the answers in the world. He couldn't understand how Kazu always returned to a place that got to him so much, but at least now he knew why. He gave the fence a smack with his palm, almost cringing at the lingering ting that sounded. "It's this stupid thing."

Kazu opened his mouth but then shut it, looking away from Ikki and instead, up at the top of the fence.

"Have you ever seen how high it is?" he mumbled. Ikki let a breath roll into the air and looked to the highest point of the crosswire. "Ya know, from down here, it looks near impossible."

Ikki let his brows lower.

"_Looks _near impossible. But _isn't_. It's not so bad," he said. "I'll even show you."

Ikki produced a determined look on his face that caught Kazu off guard. The taller boy took a leap upwards. He stretched out his hands and took a firm hold of the tip of the fence, shifting his weight to throw himself the rest of the way over. With a thud he landed gracefully on the other side, sending the blonde a smirk.

Kazu stubbornly crossed his arms, frowning a little.

"I could have, if I wanted to."

"They why don't you?" Ikki pressed, lacing his fingers through the wire again, trying not to smile when Kazu looked at a loss for words. At least until he was able to gather his wits. He took in a deep breath and dug his hands into his pockets.

"Why do you do that?"

"Why do I do what?"

"_That_!" Kazu blinked incredulously, putting his hands on his hipsnow, like some pissed of teenage schoolgirl. When Ikki only beamed in response, Kazu let his resentment out of his system in the form of a sigh. His shoulders slumped; sometimes there was just no use fighting the guy. "God, forget it."

The jet waved Ikki away and wandered over to a rather comfortable looking patch of grass next to the fence and settled down there. Ikki sat down next to him, separated only by the crisscross of wire. Even when they were right next to each other, Kazu hated how he still wasn't able to fully reach the crow.

The sky had gotten dark without them knowing it and out here, away from the hustle and bustle and lights of their area, the stars were easy to see. Kazu opened his mouth to say something, then closed it, then opened it again.

"You ever hear that saying, Ikki? 'Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars'?"

There was a pause, a short chuckle, and small sigh before Ikki replied.

"Yeah. I hate it."

Kazu blinked rapidly. Looked over to the crow with questioning eyes. He didn't need to ask for an explanation; Ikki was going to give him one regardless.

"Kazu, I don't want you settling for some lame fucking star. So many other people already have," he mumbled softly, seemingly lost in his own thoughts.

"…Ikki?"

"If you want the damn moon than don't settle for anything less."

Kazu looked over to the other boy, who was already looking right back at him. Their eyes met, trying so hard to convey things that their mouths could not, that their heads could never, that their hearts were unsure of.

"Got it?" the crow said, putting his palm up and against the fence, silently asking for a solemn promise.

Kazu wasn't sure where it had all spouted from, or why Ikki was so random with it - Ikki had moments like these every now and again but it was never something you could see coming - but he didn't want to let the boy down. So he put his hand to the fence as well, opposite Ikki's palm. He felt the mix of cold metal and warm flesh creeping into his own hand and up his arm.

"Got it…"

This was his word. This was his promise not to settle but to shoot for what he wanted.

If only he knew what that was, Kazu was sure he'd be able to keep that promise. His eyes were hesitant to meet with Ikki's – he made sure to keep them pointed to the ground – but his fingers were quick to poke through the fence and lace with Ikki's, the pads of his fingers grazing the crow's knuckles. What threw him off was the way Ikki returned the gesture.

He didn't understand it. Wasn't sure he wanted to. Wasn't sure what it meant to him, to Ikki, if it meant anything at all. He didn't even know what he was going to say when Ikki's name rolled softly off his irresolute tongue.

But he didn't have to; Ikki's phone went off and the crow pulled his hand away to answer it. Kazu kept his hand lingering on the metal fixture, eyes staring at Ikki's shoes and ears perking up to listen to his voice. What just happened…?

--

* * *

--

Ikki didn't bother asking questions when he got the call from Buccha and Onigiri. Instead he leaped over the fence and took Kazu by the hand without a second thought, and dragged him back towards the school. Kazu, however, hating to be left in the dark, spoke up.

"What's going on!?" he exclaimed, confused. This being dragged thing… this feeling of not knowing what was going on… was all too sickeningly familiar.

"Someone's been hurt," was the quick reply. Ikki was pacing his breathing, eyes intense and focused and unwilling to spill more words than were necessary. "At the school."

"Right," the blonde nodded, picking up speed and looping his hands underneath Ikki's knees and upper back to carry him – this way was much faster, and Ikki gave no complaints or questions when he was fitted into Kazu's thin arms. The jet was careful not to go so fast as to risk dropping the other boy. The crow kept his eyes forward and narrowed, blinking against the stinging wind as it rushed past him, while Kazu tried to ignore the strong scent Ikki was giving off. A mix of musk and oak – a very natural, very relaxing smell…

Kazu blinked himself back into awareness when he saw the school grounds, and Onigiri, Buccha and some other third person were standing over by the clock tower. He could see Onigiri standing there, arm around that third person to support him. He was wearing a school uniform like the rest of them, and it was only after he'd gotten close enough to set Ikki down that he recognized the boy as Kitsune.

Ikki's feet planted firmly on the ground and he strode over to the others, running a hasty hand through his forest of spikes to compose himself and catch his breath.

Kitsune… Not someone he'd always given particular attention to, but the kid was obviously sore and hurting, his top lip and left cheek slightly swollen. It was obvious he'd been in a scrap, and most probably lost in it. He was never a fighter; just a weak willed follower that did as he was told in fear of being disliked. He was the kind of person Ikki didn't have much respect for, but he was still a human being and a fellow student, so Ikki placed himself under Kitsune's free arm to make it easier for him to stand. It didn't do much, though; the difference between Ikki and Onigiri's height was probably making him even more uncomfortable.

"You weren't in school today," Ikki said right away. "I'm taking it this was why."

Kitsune lowered his head, face turning a cherry color when he realized Kazu was there too. He hadn't expected him to be… But then again, that guy was usually around Ikki these days; he shouldn't have been so surprised.

"I was followed," he spilled shamelessly. "Jumped."

"By who?" Buccha leaned in closely.

"I… didn't catch his name, sorry. But," Kitsune responded carefully, lifting his head and staring gravely at the jet. "He was asking about you, Kazu-kun."

"Me?" Kazu perked up, pointing a finger to his chin. Kitsune nodded his head slowly; then his face grew a little more serious.

"He said you'd know who they were."

Ikki, Onigiri and Buccha all turned heads to face Kazu. Not accusingly, but just as intimidating. The blonde grew flustered under those gazes, taking a step back.

Onigiri spoke charily; "Do you?"

Kazu's eyes widened a little when he looked back at the tubby rider. There was a time when he and Onigiri were inseparable. He couldn't help feeling offended when the boy was questioning him like this. He didn't know how to defend himself because he wasn't sure what he was defending himself _from_. Last time he checked, he didn't associate himself with people that would pummel a fellow classmate.

"Kazu," Ikki spoke up when they weren't getting an answer, adjusting himself underneath Kitsune's arm. "_Do_ you know the guy that did this?"

"Wha- I… no!" Kazu's voice spiked defensively. He waved his hands in front of him and shook his head, no, _no _of _course _he didn't! "Why would you even think that I – "

He froze.

_He said you'd know who they were._

They? He'd know who _they_ were? Kazu knew as a Storm Rider he was bound to have enemies. But at the moment there was only one possible explanation he could think of, and it wasn't one he liked.

"He had a weird _thing _on his back," Kitsune started explaining to all of them, hoping to refresh Kazu's memory if he gave a description. "I know it sounds weird, but it had these bizarre stems sticking out of it that made him look like… Well, like a spider!"

While Ikki, Onigiri and Buccha gave the boy suspicious looks, Kazu gulped. He'd seen the strange box-like container slung over one of their backs, though he hadn't gotten to see what it was for. Kitsune's enlightenment wasn't very consoling. The boy went on explaining but Kazu had already tuned him out, distracted and lost in his own thoughts.

Riffle and the others had _told_ him that they'd be seeing him again. He'd managed to walk away without telling them where to find him, but he was sure they'd tried to find out, but it never crossed his mind that they would resort to this type of method, though the more he thought about it, the stupider he felt for not seeing it coming. Now looking at Kitsune was like a slap to the face.

Someone else was suffering for something that was _his _problem.

Kazu looked bitterly off to the side, lower lip jutted out irritably and fists tightly balled. It all couldn't just end at losing one humiliating race, could it? They wanted to see him again, and for what? Kazu pinched his eyes shut briefly; he didn't want to think about it.

"Hey, stop spacing out," Ikki's voice broke through to him effortlessly. Kazu shook his head to clear it and looked back at his friends; Buccha, Onigiri, Kitsune and…

"Ikki."

"I can stand on my own, thanks guys," Kitsune informed, gently pulling free from Onigiri's right arm and Ikki's left. Now standing on his own two feet, he took heavy steps towards Kazu and leaned against him, fell against him – Kazu brought his hands up to grab the boy before he could bring them both crashing to the ground – and he was close enough to whisper words only the blonde could hear.

"…Tonight at midnight. He said you'd… know where," he breathed carefully, lips ghosting over the shell of Kazu's ear and hand coming up to clutch at the jet's shoulder. "Kazu-kun… what's going on?"

Kazu held his breath dangerously, fists balling even tighter like a reflex as he absorbed the information he was fed. And without any words, without even a single glance to anyone – for he knew doing so would only make things more difficult – he passed Kitsune off to Ikki, turned on his heel and walked away.

"You don't suppose he thinks any less of me, do you?" Kitsune asked, eying the three that remained, then at Kazu's retreating back, blushing ferociously. "Maybe I shouldn't have…"

Ikki stared off after the blonde as well as he shrank into the distance. He repositioned himself under Kitsune's arm and nodded at Buccha's new suggestion of taking him somewhere to get looked at. All the while his heart was telling him to follow the blonde, 'cause damn that boy was running off a _lot_ lately and one of these days the crow intended to keep him from doing so. But for some reason his legs refused to move, much like that stupid dream, mind telling him that Kazu obviously had something he wanted to do by himself.

"Buccha, think you can follow him?"

Buccha nodded his head and was set to take off when Kitsune stopped him.

"No wait! You can't!" he bowed his head. "Please… Please don't ask me to explain but you just can't!"

When Ikki looked back at Kitsune, he noted the way the boy was shuddering. Something felt terribly, terribly wrong. The crow tried to stifle his feelings of regret and worry and led Kitsune off the school grounds, Buccha and Onigiri tailing right behind them. Because the guy was so roughed up and so shaken, Ikki resisted the urge to upset him more by sending the former Yaou leader after the blonde. Ikki hoped it was just a matter Kazu of not being able to see an old friend in such a state.

Kitsune allowed himself to be carried along, legs wobbly but moving, throat dry and tasteless. The lump in his throat was that of regret, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't seem to swallow it down completely.

--

* * *

--

"Sure was a stubborn little shit," Weaver cracked his fingers, one by one, as if his hands were now tainted by what he had done. "What a waste of day."

"Oh please," Riffle cut in loudly. "So a middle school runt was too much for you to handle?"

Weaver pinned the younger man with calculating eyes, willing him to pick his battles more wisely and to stop being so rash about everything. There were times where he could only shake his head and wonder if Riffle's speed was the only reason the Devil saw worth keeping him for. Things like that were called dumb luck. Weaver kicked back in his seat and looked elsewhere, voice never changing.

"I suppose your method would have been acceptable," he said as a matter of factly. "I tried to reason with the boy at first, but eventually had to resort to tactics of your level. Strike first, ask questions later, am I right?"

"And it worked, didn't it," Riffle said as more of a statement than anything, smiling widely, a sense of conceit clear in his posture. As if a child were saying _ha! I told you so_.

"Chill out, Rife. You give me too little credit."

"Yeah? Why d'you say that?"

"We don't have to do anything," the swaggering reply came smoothly. "The kid will come to _us_."

"Oh?" Mantis cocked a brow. "Do tell. And I assume the boss knows about this?"

"Of course," Weaver waved the comment off irritatingly before explaining. "When he wasn't giving me what I wanted to hear, I roughed him up a little bit. As it turns out, the guy knows the kid, and he's gonna deliver the message for us. If he doesn't, I told him I'd be seeing him again."

Riffle only sank lower in his seat and spat off to the side, tapping an anxious foot on the floor. So they'd be seeing that kid again…

He'd never been the patient type. No, he'd always wanted instant satisfaction and the thrill of living in the moment and acting on a single instant and thinking about it afterwards, and he never let his grudges settle easy.

Their boss had specifically said how when he saw the speed rider again, he wanted him to be alive. Riffle was sure he could find some way to bend those rules, if even just a little bit. The little blonde that had raced him was nowhere near his good side, far from it, and it felt like the only way to fix the problem was to get rid of it altogether.

Even if the message was delivered, there was no guarantee that the kid – Kazu, he was pretty sure the name was, if he remembered it correctly – would come to them. But even if he didn't, surely their boss would find another way. He gripped at his sleeves with aggravated fists.

"He fucking better," he grumbled, not sure exactly who or what he was referring to, just that he was pissed about something either way.

"Try to control that temper of yours, will you?"

Riffle glared angrily at Weaver, who was tinkering with the box that normally sat on his slumped back. The skeletal, metallic tendrils that extended out from it were irritatingly creepy, more so now since those stupid spider-like legs were getting more attention than him while he was speaking. The aggravated bullet inwardly huffed.

Control his temper… Riffle didn't know how well that would go over if he saw that kid again. Up until now, his status of being such a fast runner was unmatched. He didn't like the threat of being outrun by another speed rider; a stupid kid, no less. Riffle ground his teeth and sank even further in his seat.

"No promises."


	17. Bitter Reunions

**A/N: **Yay, another chapter! I updated this one a tad quicker than usual because I didn't want to make you wait too long - because this is a short chapter. I tried to lengthen it, but I can't really stretch it out anymore without ruining the flow of the story.

I'm getting pretty busy with school; a lotta big tests are coming up for me and though I'm going to do my best to work on the next chapter, I don't know how long of a wait it's going to be.

The one-shots have been slow because I don't have the motivation or inspiration for them. My muse.. he's being very stubborn. It's his fault that a V-Day fic TOTALLY slipped my mind oo

Uhmmm crap, I had a lot more things to say but my head is pounding so I'm going to pretend I had nothing to say.

**Warnings: **pfft, you know them.

Thank Youuuuu!

**Versus: **Oh dear, I didn't mean to take over your study time, lol. You and me both, hun, want to just shout at them because to us, it's just so obvious they're in love. I didn't even realize I updated on Valentine's Day until I got your review, heh.

**T.J.: **Aww I'm so happy to hear it was able to make your day better! Everyone seems to love the fence scene, and that makes me so glad! As for Kazu and Riffle.. well, they meet up in this chapter!

**ranchan-akari: **You have to remember, heh, that both of them can be so, so dense. But you'll be happy to hear that they start coming to their senses in this chapter. Or... or the next one. Or do they..?

**DL: **Yus, poor Kazu. I love making him angst, perhaps just a little too much, I think. Here's more!

**Slifer: **Thank you, darling! The fingers through the fence was something I've been wanting to write for a while now, 'cuz it's just a cute thing to picture. So much better than Akito/Agito, yus?

**ALt6913: **Eehee you're like me. You print things off to read on the go if you don't have time at home. I have this _thing_ about the fence I can't explain. I just love it.

**melchan13: **Thank you, dear. Sorry that things have been going slow, hopefully action will start popping up very soon.

**iKat.13: **I think I speak for all of us when I say YAY for IkkixKazu moments! And thank you so much for your kind words - you flatter me, darling!

**Kattrin Ray: **Thanks! Though I still wish there was more IkkiKazu out there, it sure is growing! You're not the only one who loves the Kazu angst! Hurr hurr...

**Sagri: **Mhmm they are moving slow but they ARE moving. Poetic... for some reason, I'm really flattered by that word, lol, so thank you SO, so much!

**Jess: **Aw, I like to reply to reviewers 'coz I want them to know how appreciative I am of them. So thank you for your review and your comments.

**Marshiemallows: **I can't believe how long it took for the plot to get this far. Took so long... I'm glad you enjoyed the IkkiKazu moment - I had a pretty good time writing it.

**manicalpha: **lol wow. Yeah Air Gear has a tendency to get kinda... but you came back to read the story still! That means a lot to me! Their 'chemistry' is just so addictive.

**Ikichi: **Thanks, sweety! Don't worry about the last chapter - I'm glad you took the time to hit the review button.

**Emi Sue: **Hello Emi dear! Your words _always _bring a smile to my face. You make me feel so good about my work! I always had a feeling Kitsune liked Kazu, 'cuz usually when the guy was talking, it was at Kazu.

**BlackFlameRose: **I'm happy to _be _back! Tag doesn't really have a solid set of rules - just however you want to play, really. Here's the next chapter, I'm just sorry it's shorter than the rest.

**Blizzy: **oh ho dear I'm so used to you that I don't need a review from you to know you read it! Thanks sweetums.

**Endy: **Get your internets. I miss you.

**Kitten:** hurr hurr you told me to work on FaS, so I updated. Love me :3

**To the rest of the reviewers: **I didn't give everyone much time to really review the last chapter, but there are a few select reviews that have been loyally following this fic and I know they've read the previous chapter. So thank you!

--

* * *

--

--

**Air Gear**

_a fiction by Crimson Vixen_

**Bitter Reunions**

--

--

* * *

--

"I'd know where to go," Kazu muttered gravely, eyes jumping back and forth and behind to make sure no one was following him. Watching him. He stuffed his hands into his pockets as deep as the fabric would allow, uncomfortable with sweaty palms, ringing ears and stiff legs – the thing he needed the most. "I know."

This wasn't the first time Kazu was angry about being right. He _did _know where to go. Faintly remembered how to get there. Tried to ignore the feelings that the area tried to resurface.

The blonde glanced up towards the sky nervously. Being a good judge of the moon's placement in the sky, he assumed it was nearing midnight, and he picked up the pace a little. He didn't want to be late; who knew what kind of problems that would cause for him.

When he rounded a rather familiar block and curb, the places seemed to be getting darker and darker, emptier and emptier. Lonelier. Colder.

Kazu huddled into himself as he walked. He realized he was walking slower as he got closer, and every few steps he had to remind his leg to move forward so he could actually... _get _somewhere. The blonde didn't want to say he was scared or nervous, just careful, and he kept telling himself this when he made his way into that dreadful alleyway in which he'd first come across the sinister pack of idiots. He didn't see anything or anyone at first but then again, it was just as dark, if not darker than he remembered. Kazu puffed out his cheeks when he released a much needed sigh.

He posed himself in a way he'd always seen Ikki stand when he was sure of himself. To his frustration, he had nothing heroic or threatening to say; not when he was the one defeated last time. As he expected, they laughed at him just for showing up. Either there was something he wasn't aware of, or he truly was stupid for being there.

He thought about Kitsune, and how the boy has suffered for something that he'd had nothing to do with. He thought about himself and how much he wanted to see this thing through to the end, whatever this thing _was_. And he thought about Ikki, and what the crow would think if he knew where he was and what he was doing at the moment. Would he be proud? Would he step in and take over, telling him he was an idiot for doing it alone? Would he know what to do?

Then he thought about his _thoughts_, and wondered why no matter what he was doing, they always ended with Ikki, that idiot, that birdbrain! Why every time they touched, his mind lingered on it, or how much he blushed whenever Ikki said something that complimented him. Why he was so _damn set _on impressing the guy with _everything _he did and why he was always staring at the crow when he was around.

Sure he was friends with the guy but things like that were just... It wasn't normal.

Kazu looked down to the ground, at his feet. His ears started burning in spite of the cold, and he tore his hands from his pockets to cover them. Was he getting flustered? Thinking about…

"Hey! The hell is your problem?" a voice cut through, jolting Kazu from his thoughts with a light gasp. His mouth hung open slightly before he licked his lips and swallowed.

"Nothing," he glowered, actually grateful for the distraction. "I came here just like you asked. So what do you want?"

"It'd probably be wise not to take that tone of voice with me and my men," the darkest voice said. The leader, Kazu promptly remembered. He cleared his throat at the risk of wavering the next time he spoke, attempting to keep his foot from taking a step back. That voice alone was enough to freeze the blonde's blood completely. "After all, we were considerate enough to invite you back here. At the very least, you could show a little gratitude."

At first, Kazu's tongue tied itself into a knot to prevent itself from saying anything stupid. That was before he realized that he didn't want to seem weak by cowering in front of these guys or losing his voice completely. He didn't want it to be like last time.

"Just tell me what you want," he said again, this time a little more solid, eyes staring bitterly into the blackness, hoping it was at least somewhat intimidating when he couldn't see any of them. It was like he was reliving the past when they started chuckling again, only succeeding in pissing the jet off to no end. His lips folded to the side and he took in a deep, and thankfully steady, breath. "Tell me or I'm leaving."

The chuckling died down quickly enough but no words were said, and Kazu took the opportunity to shrug them off and turn the other way. He didnt have time for shit like this; if they were just going to stare and laugh at him...

Kazu hadn't taken one step before he heard something shuffle from the darkness, and something whizzed past his ear and looped around his face, his neck, his chest, pulling him into that horrible alleyway.

"Let me the fuck _go_!" he shouted vehemently, throwing around blind fists and trying to find the ground with his feet.

"Calm down," someone said to him. Another voice he remembered. Kazu stilled, but only for a moment, long enough to gather his predicament. Cold limps wrapped around his arms, holding him back, but they didn't feel like normal appendages. They didn't even feel human. They were hard to the touch, and cold, like the fence.

"Wh-what!? What is…"

The metallic restraint slithered away from him and pushed him roughly, deeper into the hopelessness of the alley, where another part of hands caught him, rough with their grip, violent with the way he dragged the blonde along.

"Don't go anywhere just yet, kid. We didn't even get started," the new voice broke in, fingers curling and digging into the skin of the blonde's shoulder. This one, Kazu knew in a flash.

"Riffle!"

"Hey, you remembered me," Riffle said darkly, slamming the boy into the brick wall next to them and pinning his arms behind his back. The gruff rider pushed his weight into the jet mercilessly, growling into his ear, lifting his arms up a little higher, a little higher, until a sharp pain shot through the blonde's body. "That's _perfect_."

Kazu hissed angrily, grimacing at the way his cheek rubbed against the grainy texture of the brick wall. Was sure it was going to tear his skin if the devil himself hadn't cut in.

"Let him go, Riffle. I don't want damanged goods."

Kazu gulped when he was released and fell to the ground, hand landing in something sticky and wet. He was back on his feet in an instant, refusing to give these guys any more satisfaction than he already had. Kazu dusted himself off and took a step forward. Now that his eyes had adjusted, he could see them all a little better.

His eyes fell upon the one with a slouch, a strange contraption on his back – the one that had to have jumped Kitsune. Just like the boy had described, there were eight sinewy extensions that poked out from the contraption on his back. Four on each side, like a fucking spider. Kazu shivered. Then there was the one next to him, skinny as a twig and a bony structure to go with it, even in the face. His eyes were narrow, pupils like pinpricks, and they were glaring at him. And there was Riffle, just as pissed off as Kazu remembered it, audibly growling at him and with good reason; Kazu would give him that.

This time, he was able to see their team leader. It was a first that the blonde wasn't sure he wanted to experience. But once he set eyes on him, Kazu found it hard to pull them away. He wore a mask that covered his eyes and nose, gleaming and slick looking, painted red and black with endless black holes where the whites of his eyes poked through, and for only a moment, Kazu was convinced that demons really existed.

And since the guy was doing nothing but staring him down, Kazu had to ask again.

"What do you want?"

"Let me look at you," he said, mono-tone. Kazu just stood there, unsure what to do, what to say, or how to get the other team members' eyes off his back. The man in the devil mask stood, walked slowly to him, put a thin hand on his blonde head. Kazu remained unmoving; wasn't sure what death smelled like but got a faint idea. "Just how in the world does a little thing like you…"

He faded away with his words, bending down to be mask to face with the boy, searching those retracted blue eyes with his. Kazu let the spit that had accumulated in his mouth stay there; didn't want the devil to see him gulp. Didn't want to risk choking on it.

"You'll have to excuse my boys," he drawled lazily, bringing his hand to Kazu's chin and lifting the boy's delicate head, turning it left and right and examining him like dog at a dog show to see if he was well groomed and well fed. Then he let Kazu's chin go and smiled warmly, yet it still sent chills down the boy's spine. "You should stick around for a while. There are a few things we'd like to discuss with you."

--

* * *

--

Yayoi swung her arm gently over to the left to embrace the stout rider, nuzzling her head into his arm and turned her eyes to the movie they were both watching. She loved how Onigiri was actually conscious of her when they did things like this. Paid attention to her. Watched movies he didn't like because they were the kind _she _preferred. Watching movies with Onigiri had become their _thing_. Couple _things _like that used to annoy the track runner, but that was before she had one of her own.

And it was a black and white film; the old style romance movies that would never happen in real life. But it felt good to watch things fall so perfectly into place, hear a man whisper words that a real man would never, and a girl hanging on every word he says without a doubt because the man is just too beautiful and perfect to be true but he _was_ and oh what a girl in the real world wouldn't do for a man like _that_. But Yayoi was convinced that men like that didn't exist, because she was a realist.

So when Yayoi wrapped hands around Onigiri's arm and rested her head on his shoulder, she could hear his breathing, and she was content. He was as real as a guy could get – stupid, boy flaws and boy smells and everything. She knew it had happened suddenly, and it wasn't until after she'd given the boy a chance did she realize that she had real, genuine feelings for him. He was sweet when he wanted to be, when he wasn't trying to impress his friends, and to her surprise, was a one-woman man once he _had_ a woman. The thought makes her blush every time she thinks of it. And she's sure that she's lucky, not even having to look for someone to call her own because that someone had found her when she was least expecting it.

It almost made her feel guilty. She felt bad for her friends, both who were crushing on other people and making little progress while she didn't need to lift a finger.

"What was that?"

Yayoi blinked her eyes wide, pulled away slightly to look Onigiri in the eyes. Had she spoken out loud without realizing it?

"Huh?"

"What do you feel bad about?"

"I guess there's no harm in telling you," she said softly. After all, they were dating now; it was only natural to share these sort of things with each other. "Ringo and Emiri. They're trying so hard."

Her head jerked a little bit when Onigiri laughed; "Well everyone in the world knows Ringo likes Ikki, except for him."

Yayoi giggled a little. It _was _pretty evident. She wasn't sure why the crow was so blind to it. There were also a lot of boys who would give anything to snatch a girl like Ringo, but no one dared make a move since she was 'already spoken for.'

"But poor Emiri gets so flustered around Kazu."

After she'd spoken, all she could hear was the movie; Onigiri wasn't saying anything so Yayoi looked at him again with questioning eyes. The boy was looking back at her with a confused expression.

"…Emiri likes Kazu?"

"Oh my god!" Yayoi said half jokingly, slapping his arm with the flat of her palm. "You're kidding, right? It's so obvious!"

Onigiri shook his head disbelievingly and laughed at himself, short thick brows raising.

"I had no idea."

"You're such a guy," Yayoi scowled half-heartedly. "She's liked him for a really long time. I think she's actually really close to telling him."

"I seriously didn't know."

Yayoi jutted out her lower lip in a way that looked like pouting even though Onigiri knew she wasn't. Yayoi didn't pout; she scowled, if anything. He could tell the girl was actually pretty shocked he lacked this apparently vital information. But that wasn't very fair; everything was vital to girls.

Her face lightened when she sighed, shaking her head at him and smiling softly before replacing her head on his arm. Onigiri reached over to the side of the couch that was left unoccupied and yanked the blanket closer before draping it over his girlfriend.

The rider grinned shamelessly. His _girlfriend_. It was nothing like it was the first time, with a girl who loved him for his chunky build. Yayoi was a girl who didn't let appearances cloud her judgment of people. She was just as new to this relationship as he was and yet she always seemed like she knew what she was doing. And in turn, Onigiri liked this girl for her assertive, powerful nature and controlling behavior. She was a softie deep down, he realized, once he took the time to dig deep enough. It had nothing to do with her cute face and low-set pigtails, or her toned and defined track running legs and creamy skin.

Though it definitely wasn't going unnoticed.

--

* * *

--

He fiddled with his thumbs, swirling them around each other in rapid rotation, staring at them intently as if looking away would ruin the motion. His foot was tapping against his will, and every time he stopped it, it would just start again a few minutes later. Kazu hoped that by doing these involuntary mannerisms he looked like he was just bored, but knew it came across as nervousness.

"Stop fidgeting," Riffle snapped, causing the blonde to jump in his seat. Seated on some soggy crate in some deserted part of the city, surrounded by darkness and three riders he wasn't exactly on good terms with towering over him wasn't exactly something that calmed his nerves. "It's really annoying."

He looked up at the other rider – the speeding bullet – and the other two that were standing next to him. Weaver, he'd learned. And Mantis.

What fitting names.

Made 'Stealth' sound childish.

"I'm not sure I… understand."

"Listen, I'll go through it again," Mantis approached him, his skinny shadow managing to seep over him. He seemed to be the nicest of the three of them, though that wasn't saying very much. "Whatever team you run for, you don't run for them anymore. Boss says he wants you to hang out here for a while."

"That's not up to you!" Kazu bit back without thought, slamming his hands on his seat and glaring. "You can't just tell me to _quit_!"

"Yeah," Riffle spat, snarling as per usual at him. He put Kazu on edge the most, having a motive to hate him and seeming to be the violent type. "Boss thought you'd say something like that. Predictable little shit."

"Which is why he wants you to know this…" Mantis continued carefully, bending his knees and stooping down to be eye level with the young teen. "If you don't… then we might just have to get rid of the team that's currently holding you back. At least then, you won't have to worry about letting anyone down."

"Think about it," Weaver decided to join in. "Don't you want to be noticed? Don't you want that speed of yours to get the attention it deserves?"

He heard Riffle spit again, growling a little when his speed was mentioned.

"I, uhh…" Kazu drawled at first, then reminded himself where he stood on all this. "No."

His heart thudded loudly in the next two beats.

"It's not like you'd be an official member or anything," Riffle made sure to point out loudly, pushing his team mates aside and shoving Kazu on the chest. The blonde nearly lost his balance on the crate and had to clutch at the edge to keep himself from falling. "If anything, think of it as workin for two teams at the same time. And if you can't even agree on _that_…"

"No."

"Stubborn shit!" Riffle snapped again, slapping the blonde upside the head. Kazu just shot him a defiant stare. The speeding bullet grew disgusted and brought his attention to the other two, but Kazu knew Riffle was talking to _him_. "I can tell by the way your knees are bangin' that you're hiding something!"

Kazu gritted his teeth so hard it hurt. His nose crinkled with how much his lip curled to bare his canines.

"Like I'd fucking degrade myself by running for a team like yours!" he shouted, voice bouncing off the walls. Kazu knew what he was doing; he was sacrificing himself for his team, just like he always did, defending his friends by throwing himself in the line of fire. He was okay with that. "Of _course _I'm not going to leave them and I'm definitely not going to run for another team behind their backs! And... You can't hurt them - your threats are worthless if you don't know who they are!"

Kazu was beginning to wonder if he should become a mute, since every time he talked for more than a couple of sentences, hands liked to slap him across the face to shut him up. He didn't catch which one of them did it, but this time he was hit hard enough to send him off the crate and onto the ground, but he picked himself up in an instant.

"There are other ways," Weaver said calmly, eyes half lidded and not at all phased by the blonde's outburst. "There's bound to be something that means enough to you…"

"We found that dopey little kid at your school," Riffle chimed in once again, voice making Kazu cringe, filling his head with thoughts of Kitsune and how the boy had taken a serious fall for him. "I'm sure we could find someone else you know…"

"I think you misunderstand," Kazu spoke fondly but insolently. "He would never stoop so low. It doesn't matter what you do or how good you are, he'll always be on top. He'll always be above scum like you."

He was playing with fire and he knew it, but he felt so sure about his words that he felt no fear in saying them. Perhaps if it wasn't so dark and he wasn't looking back at his hands, he would have seen the glare being shot his way. He was so busy drowning in his pride for his friend, his head floating way too high in the sky with the clouds and crows and a certain boy who could fly so high, that he didn't even notice the large hand that came out and twisted into his school jacket until he was dangling in the air. There was a dark, sardonic laugh and Kazu felt his heart beating faster, as well as his back against a wall.

"Lotta brave talk comin' out of someone so expendable."

"Expendable, my ass," Kazu barked. "If I'm so expendable, why are you keeping me around!?"

"So now you're saying you don't matter?"

Kazu narrowed his features, trying not to let his emotions bubble and get the better of him. That's just what they wanted, after all. Get him worked up so they could use it against him. He gripped at the hands that held him, determined not to fall for the bait. Or be it.

"Bastard..." he growled. Then, more to himself; "I'm... I'm important to him. It doesn't matter if no one else can see it."

And he found comfort in these words. And faith.

"How cute," a voice growled – Kazu saw it was Riffle, expectedly – who'd hauled up by the shirt, and damn he better not _rip_ the damn thing. He was tired of having other people destroy his clothes – and Kazu let out a strangled gurgle as the hand that was entwined in his jacket leaped to his throat in a vice grip. He was still hanging in the air. "Are you saying you can handle this all your own? Kinda like that race?"

The blonde seethed. Riffle seemed like the kind of guy to hold a grudge.

He hated calling for Ikki's help; it made him feel incompetent. So he didn''t. He forced himself to grin, speaking regardless of what little air he had to speak _with_.

"I don't need help to wipe the shit off the bottom of my shoe..."

"Tough guy, huh!?"

Kazu was pulled forward and slammed back into the wall, his feet starting to kick until he connected with the guy's middle. As soon at that greasy hand released him, he slid down to the floor and gathered his bearings.

"Don't underestimate me," he said, baring his fangs like that of a wild animal. "Don't think so lightly of him either."

Riffle's laughter was quickly becoming one of Kazu's greatest pet peeves, for the man was at it again, practically holding his sides. He looped a heavy arm around the blonde's shoulder and pulled him close.

"You made one little mistake, you know?" he smiled knowingly. "Didn't even have to dig for anything - you brought him up on your own."

Kazu was silent for a minute, eyes jumping left and right to regather his thoughts and remember what he'd said. That was when his breath caught in his throat. He'd been so focused on defending Ikki's name that he'd given his enemies the information they needed to keep him under their thumb. He felt like an idiot, throwing around _he_'s and _him_'s like they were disposable.

The consequences, Kazu assumed, for always thinking about the idiot.

His silence went on for too long, and Riffle's annoying guffawing hurt his ears.

"So let me see if I got this right... it's a _boy _that's got you so restless, am I right?"

Kazu could find no words when he needed them the most, only staring at Riffle with burning eyes.

"Hey guys!" he shouted, turning towards Mantis and Weaver. Riffle jammed his thumb over his shoulder to point at the blonde. "No wonder he was being so quiet! Kid's a _queer_!"

The name sent an automatic alarm through Kazu's body. Red flags shot up in his brain and the back of his neck started to shimmer with sweat. Queer… he'd definitely heard the name tossed around before, as a label for other people – never really gave it much thought until he himself had been slapped with it.

Kazu spat. It's not like it was true or anything. After all, Ikki was his friend. His best friend. And so what if his loyalty was a bit over the top and his thoughts were rotating around the crow like the pull of the planets. So what if he would give anything to be worth something in his eyes. It didn't mean he was…

It didn't make him queer.

The only thing Kazu found hope in was the fact that even though he'd stupidly dropped hints that there was a boy somewhere that meant something to him, he hadn't dropped any names. But he'd gotten too close. The blonde slumped his shoulders and cleared his throat. Maybe living a secret life behind Ikki's back, working and running for another team, wasn't such a horrible thing. Not if it meant the crow would be left alone.

"Fine. I'll do it."

At least, Kazu figured, until he thought of a way out.

"That's a good sport." A hand came down and mussed with his hat until it fell off. Kazu made a face and picked it right back up and replaced it atop his head. "We can sort out the details later."

"There's one more thing, though. Before we let you off for the night."

Kazu was about to retort – he could feel it like fire in his windpipe – but Weaver took him by the left arm, Mantis by the right. He hollered to be released while Riffle rummaged for something off to the side. When he found what he was looking for, and when Kazu set eyes on it – he wasn't totally sure what it was. All he saw was the point of something sharp and a gleam in Riffle's eyes when he brought that _thing _closer – he flailed and cursed and kicked. His blistering words were slurred when Riffle's free hand clutched his jaw and turned his head to the side.

"Shut up, it'll only hurt for a second."

--

* * *

--

Ikki was half awake, half asleep. He tossed and turned in his bed, throwing a leg that way, tucking his arm under his head like _that_ and hugging his pillow this way… nothing was working. He threw the covers over his head and curled into himself, frustrated.

He felt a dip in the bed, but no sound. Ikki was close to growling Akito's name and telling the boy to give him some time alone. Needed some breathing space and no ifs ands or buts about it. But the hand that gently slid down his arm was a reassuring one, and something that Akito had never done before. His mind screamed _Kazu's back _but at the risk of sounding like an idiot, Ikki remained silent. Slowly he pulled the covers back down and gazed up. Wide, hazel eyes gazed back at him, flowing hair cascading down smooth shoulders.

"Sim… Simca…"

"Good morning, little crow."

"I…" the boy mumbled, only half aware, and sat up in his bed. "How did you…"

Simca let out a girlish giggle, a sound that slid even and silky from her nose then her mouth, and pointed a finger to the crow's window, which was open. That sneaky woman had…

"I missed you," she cooed, puckering her lips and coming in for the kill. Ikki brought the covers up between them just before their lips could touch. He wasn't in the mood and even if he was, regardless of not sleeping a wink, he had morning breath.

"Simca, I thought I… I mean I figured we…"

"I haven't seen you in a while," Simca whined playfully, making circles on Ikki's chest with her finger. "You don't come to watch me fly anymore."

"I've been busy," the crow muttered, throwing off his covers and standing. He threw his arms into the air and stretched. In the past this was the kind of thing Ikki dreamed about; Simca sneaking into his room at night and they'd play and fool around and no one would ever have to know about it. But now… Now he wasn't even sure what the Swallow was even doing here.

"Busy?"

Slender arms looped around the boy's neck and gently pulled him until his back was nestled over Simca's full breasts.

"Yeah."

"You seem distracted," she said suddenly, putting a hand to Ikki's cheek to make him look at her. Ikki tried not to scoff; if he had a dime for every time someone told him that... "Something on your mind?"

"No."

"…Some_one_?"

Ikki was silent. A lot of people were crowding his thoughts. He felt a little coldhearted towards Akito. He felt like he was ignoring Buccha and Onigiri, though the two of them were hanging out together more and more lately and didn't say much on the matter. Then there was Ringo; the guilt was irritating because there was nothing he could really do to comfort the girl without giving off the wrong signals. Simca herself was usually out of sight, out of mind, which didn't say much for any feelings for the migratory bird, though she always had a way of leaving him with lingering thoughts.

But for some reason…

Above all else…

All he seemed to be able to think about was…

"I'm just worried about someone."

Simca's hands twitched, her body tensing for a spilt second before relaxing again. Ikki supposed she wasn't actually expecting that sort of answer. She brought her head to his shoulder and rested her chin on it.

"You're in love?"

Straight-forward as always. Love seemed to be the theme of most of their get-togethers, anyway.

"No… just… taking over my thoughts a lot," Ikki said, forcing a nervous laugh. "Almost to the point of obsession." A short minute of silence before he added; "But I'm not in love."

After all, it was totally normal to be concerned about your friends, especially when you've known them for so long. And sure he'd made a lot of excuses for them, for _him_, telling Onigiri and Buccha that the only reason he practiced with Kazu more was because the boy just so happened to be so close – _living _with him. Shooing Akito off whenever the shark tried to cut between their time together (which was a lot, Ikki noticed) because they never seemed to get enough of it, and feeling a strange sense of comfort when he knew where the blonde _was_ since he was being so damn elusive.

And yes, he _had _noticed his devotion to saving their friendship before it fell to a level too deep to be worth saving, and yeah, he'd been thinking about the jet an awful lot lately, and he felt responsible now that he was living under the same roof with him... And he was starting to learn more about the blonde's likes and dislikes, his smells and his mannerisms, his speech patterns and the sway to the way he walked, but _certainly_… he certainly wasn't in love.

Simca's hands ran seductively up and down Ikki's front, feeling up his chest and down his tight belly, slipping around his sides and up his toned back and back over his shoulders. Ikki shivered and turned around to face the girl, her hands dropping away when he did.

He and Kazu – they were just friends. Best friends. Their love was one hundred percent platonic.

"I'm really not."

That would just be silly.

The Swallow played with a few strands of her hair and fluttered her lashes at him, looking unconvinced.

"You sure are getting defensive about it."

Ikki clicked his teeth and looked left, then right, then back at the window. He marched over to it, tried not to look at Simca's luscious body and obvious invites and gestured outside. He didn't need this.

"I think you should go."

Simca blinked in surprise, looking more than a little offended. She stood still as she tried to find and identify her thoughts, but found she had nothing to retort with. Perhaps the boy really just… wasn't interested. Maybe he'd grown tired of her games and teasing. It was definitely a first for her; finding someone that was hard to get instead of playing that role herself. She had to admit, it was enticing; made her kind of want the crow even more now that he was being so adamant.

When her legs allowed her to walk towards the window, she stopped to gaze at into the crow's eyes.

"You look really conflicted, Baby Face…" she sighed, reaching out and brushing some of the boy's bangs aside. "You know… if it's really bothering you that much, you should do something about it."

She sat on the windowsill and swung her legs out, gripping at the frame and looking back one more time. Ikki couldn't help but hear Simca and think about the words that Akito had told him really not that long ago because really, _if you want to, why not? _But he shook his head to chase it away.

"And in the end if you find it's not what you're looking for, I can be your rebound!"

With that, she giggled, blew a kiss and let herself drop from the window, soaring out into the sky with the rising sun and leaving Ikki to his own devices; his thoughts, near destructive and sleep depriving. There was no use trying to convince himself of something he already knew wasn't true, but just to remind himself – in case he forgot somehow – Ikki mumbled it again as he slammed the window shut and locked it so no more stray birds would come in unannounced.

"I'm not in love…"

He nodded his head firmly at himself, turning his back to the window and crossing his arms thoughtfully. The girl was just throwing herself at him, sprawling herself on a silver platter and offering herself to him with a bow on top, and he just threw her out.

"I must be the biggest fucking moron in the world right now," he muttered, yet couldn't find a scrap of guilt big enough to confirm it.


	18. Airborne

**A/N: You should prolly read this, mmhmm.**

I know it's been a while, and I have excuses, but I'm not going to give them to you 'coz they don't matter. You all know I'm busy, anyway, I'm pretty sure...

So ok! Yikes, this chapter is longer than the others! 17 pages, 7 of which I wrote just before editing this. I tried this and that and it was either going to be too short or too long, and since the last chapter was short, I kept this one longer. Sides, I have this really strong feeling that this chapter just **has** to end where I ended it. Listening to a pretty song over and over really helped write it too, lawl. (Gravity by Sara Bareilles, if you want to know)

This chapter should probably be called "The chapter the prove everyone just wants a piece of Kazu" but it wouldn't fit!

Uhmm yeah, so ffnet has been kinda messing with my fics, I think. I went back to look at some of my other stories, and ffnet kind of just... omitted my transition marks, so all the scenes ran together and I'm like "why ffnet why do you do thatttt?" but I'm going through and trying to fix it. It's also been trying to center all of my paragraphs... So very stubborn. Oh, AND repeating paragraphs! Sheesh...

_So **let this be a warning, **if there are no transition marks/scene changing marks, or if the display/set up of the actual fic looks wonky, or if parts repeat themselves that obviously are not supposed to (mainly, it seems to do this with the first sentence of a story), don't panic! Just let me know, alright? I'll see what I can do._

I was watching Air Gear and realized I missed an entire episode!! Takes place around chapter 90 of the manga, it doesn't even have an episode number, its just called "special trick" - if you wanna find it, it takes place right after episode 21, I think... It's Kazu-centered. (try youtubing episode 21.5, maybe it's still there? if you haven't seen it...)

Lets see, what else... oh god I think this chapter moves really fast - like I feel as though the story just takes a major jump but if I didn't do it now, who knew _when _it was bound to happen. I think we'll be ok though.

Holy crap, more and more Ikkazu fics on ffnet!! I get giddy every time something new shows up. I haven't gotten around to reviewing each one just yet but give me time and I will! And so many people are telling me they've been inspired to draw and write and I'm taken aback every time. You guys are just too awesome for your own good.

And, I know it's a ways away but, does anyone here know if they're going to **Otakon**?

_omg _and **thank you **to anyone who actually read through all of that. Now!

**Warnings: **possible missing transision marks, normal warnings like grammar issues, _perhaps_ slight Ikki OOC at one point... (cough) the story maybe moving way too fast in this one chapter!! It's super late so errors may become present! (stupid fingers when tired)

But I have a feeling you'll like it.

**Disclaimer: **I forget this sometimes. As much as I think I may own/control them... theyarenomine.. ahem.

**FaS current stats:**

281 **reviews**as of right now. OMG we're almost to 300! I can't believe it! You guys are too amazing! 35473 **hits**, 112 **favs**, and 117 **alerts**. You guys, I am seriously super flattered, you have no idea

Speaking of stats, the last chapter had the second smallest number of hits but the second _most_ number of reviews! And as much as thanking reviewers will bulk up the A/N before the story, I want to thank you all anyway! (most of you will find your name and skip the rest anyway)

So here we go! **Thank You: **

**ranchan-akari: **eehhh they may be figuring it out a lot sooner than you think. Perhaps a bit too soon?? But Kazu being a "part of another team" is needed for teh dramaz! I'm glad you seem to be enjoying it, at any rate.

**MindFuel: **aww, that's wonderful! To give FaS such priority makes me feel so honored as a writer. But don't be late for class anymore, silly - cuz then it's my fault! lol

**rei yamata: **lol well we have to sometimes remind ourselves that Ikki and Kazu are boys, and boys like them have a hard time dealing/reacting to the L word. You made pins and pictures? Does I gets to see, I hope?

**TheaBlackthorn: **Playing with emotions is what I do best! (is God) But Ikki and Kazu make it easy to target them.

**Flawless Beauti: **'self-sacrificing' is one of the many words that label Kazu, but it's part of why so many of us love him and understand the depth of him that is often overlooked. I'll admit, I smiled when I wrote the line that made you laugh, my friend.

**Dhew: **omg, wow, thank you so much. There are lots of really talented writers out there (on ffnet and in the AG section) so for you to say that really makes me happy. So cute! - Your english is very well spoken (or typed) for it not being your native tongue. And you had so much to say! Thank you!

**Jen Sweden: **Sorry the chapters have been updating so slow as of late - lots of schoolwork, you know. Ouuhooo, from sweden, how cool! I sure hope this chapter satisfies.

**Slifer: **I tend to try to keep running/ongoing themes throughout chapters when I can - glad you noticed that with the confrontations. Denial sure is fun to write, but one of my favorite stages of writing denial is what comes after it. I'm eager and nervous to write Kazu's new, secret life.

**DL: **lol most things we write are meant to mess with characters' heads, and we all love it. Sorry for the wait, love, but this ones longer!

**ALt6913: **aww, better and better, alright! I personally think I stray OOC sometimes but when I'm sure I'm IC, its usually Ikki and Kazu's own doing. But writing situations you are not used to writing is a great way to expand your writing skills.

**Flarrua: **I sure HOPE everything reaches a climax and comes together in the end somehow. There is a semi-climax in this chapter that I think/hope you'll love.

**Cataclysmic Disaster: **I guess I write cliffhangers even when I don't realize/think about it, sorry lol! But I didn't leave any cliffhangers in chapter... at least... at least I don't think I did.

**iKat.13: **You do that too, huh? Yell at screens, I mean. Kazu's "I dont love him but I think about him every waking moment" mindset sure is frustrating, I'm sure. Imagine how worked up I get just writing it, lol.

**T.J.: **Thank you! Well... everyone seems to be wanting and waiting for Kazu to get 'captured'!! Waitwait! The last chapter didn't count - just wait a little longer and you'll love whats in store for the future.

**KidAngel: **haha, sorryyyy. holy crap if you plan on drawing more I hope you also plan on showing me, cuz I adore your art and I adore you. Thanks muchly for the review darling.

**Blizzy: **I will never tire of your reviews, not by a long shot. And I'm sorry to hear about that lost review - I've had that happen before and with people like us who write lengthy comments, it's an irritating loss. Thank you for taking the time to make it up in that last reivew - you're simply awesome. Did I ever tell you that I get a kick out of making you fangirl. Mebbe it'll happen again this time around? and omg I have Ikki and Kazu sims, as well! XD

**Sladinji: **everyones mad about the cliffy! (hides) no but really, heh, thanks for the review and the compliments. I hope this chapter serves you just as well!

**Kattrin Ray: **Make your day? Your hero? (strikes amazing, super fantastic heroic pose) why thank you! I'll try not to fail you!

**BlackFlameRose: **(wriggles) may I pretty please see this picture?? Kitten's work is amazin but you shouldn't try to compare yourself to other people. We are all unique and have our own styles, so I'm sure yours is great! And as always dear, thank you for the review. Boys are dumb and oblivious as we eat it up.

**Versus: **trust me, I get a lot of reviews that I have to read through two or three times and I've yet to do that for yours, lol. I'm sure even without 3rd parties, Ikki and Kazu would have come to their senses, but this way it's faster! hehe, you and all my other "I want to see Kazu torture" reviewers were prolly thinking that. lol, raep.

omg its 3 in the morning, I need a small review reply break (stretches) I hope I can read through this thing and get it up before I go to bed. (yawn)

**nonday: **Yeah, originally, the whole story of FaS was going to be about 10 chapters or so, just to give you an idea of how much slower things have actually gone. Oho, Sano Ikki Kazu interaction is definetly already in the cards, my friend. Hang tight.

**Jess: **Simca is not only a bitch sometimes, but shes a bitch to write! Like, so much! Thanks for the good luck wishes, I need it! Ikki and Kazu's thick-headedness starts to fade this chapter! ...is that a spoiler?

**Ikichi: **spaz away, that's what I'm here for! To write the things that will never appear in manga and anime even though we KNOW it really happens! I think I've done my job, when readers actually make noises when they read.

**melchan13: **yey action!! I'm about as relieved as you are! Writing chapters with little to no action is really hard for me to do! More action to come eventually.. I hope.

**Sagri: **Kazu being called a 'queer' is my way of touching on more realistic problems in the world. And as much as we all love the baddie who likes to molest and tease their victim in order to get even with some other third party, I wanted to keep the baddies in FaS straight and close-minded.

**Emi Sue: **Don't worry about it, dear, you're one of my most loyal readers so I never worry about things like that. Oh dear, if your mind get fried from plot leaps, who knows what this one'll do to you...

**firedraygon: **I'm a sucker for stories where friends try to protect one another, so I guess it's natural it would sneak so strongly into my stories. Realizations are soon! Not quite yet, or at least nothing official, but we get a major push this time around.

**Misguided Angel of Death: **aw sweety don't even break a sweat about it! Simca is sooo hard to write so hearing that means tons to me. yey balance! omg the tag scene was so fun for me because Ikki and Kazu were kind've in their own little world. Don't worry about 'short' reviews (but really, it wasn't that short!), I'm just happy you take the time to do so.

**Peachie Bunni: **Ikki is one of those people that can be super wise and still be an idiot. A fun combo to write, really. Finding the right mix of cocky and serious is the hard part. Like in this chapter. I hope it's up to standards.

**bigfatsamantha: **I don't mind being lurked, really! I still can't believe people who have never heard of AG still take the time to look at FaS. and You had so many kind things to say and I really appreciate everything you had to say. And isn't Kitten's work just to die for!?

**flying.on.red: **hurrah! Another one hooked! This job is getting all the more satisfying! Keep on reading!

**Forgetfull: **refreshing! There's a word I could get used to. Good taste in pairings, my friend - Ikki and Kazu are meant to be together. I'm not being bias, I swear. Thanks for the review!

**Chubby-King-Chocobo: **Your name makes me smile. I think Kazu's in one of those downward spiral positions that he knows he's on but doesn't know how to stop. The poor dear. Hopefully by the end he'll find his place in the world (coughinIkki'sarmscough)

**AnonyMouse: **There you are! tbh I was starting to worry about you! Glad to see you among the world of the living, and of course, your wonderful, long reviews just make my freaking day! omg I'm tormenting you with Kazu's cliffy, lol, so sorry love! Tag always strikes me as "their game" when they were younger. And wow, you're really freaking about what happened to Kazu, huh? A knife? Well, I dunno about that (cough) In any case, You'll see the result of it in this chapter.

**Endy: **my darling, where did j00 goooooo!? I may call you tomorrow just to hound at you for not getting back to me. I lub you

**Kitten: **(cling) This chapter is going to suffer since it did not pass under your wise eyes first! But try to look past it and enjoy it anyway, yus? I loves you, dear! You are my other half.

OMG that took forEVER to respond to all of those!

But you're all worth it, me thinks.

I'd be nothing without you.

My dorm room smells like kimichi. Mmm...

* * *

**Air Gear**

_a fiction by Crimson Vixen_

**Airborne**

* * *

Perceptive and always one to be honest with himself, Kazu's mind provided him with many truths, harsh as some of them may be, yet in spite of the knowledge he'd gain, he still sometimes felt like he was the biggest idiot on earth. Thoughts that, to the public's eyes were not the norm, or feelings that confused him too much, were automatically assumed not to truly be his own. But he wasn't oblivious to his connection to Ikki; fiercely loyal and borderline obsessive with thoughts of the boy, and the unquenchable lust to impress him at every given opportunity.

It was thoughts like these that brought him to wonder if friendships had limits and if was it possible, if it was _ok_, to cross them? Then he wondered why he was even wasting his time thinking of such things.

He took short, deliberately slow steps, not entirely ashamed and guilty like he figured he should have felt. It was more of a nagging, confusing, questioning bulk prickling around within his belly.

Running for two teams… Kazu would readily admit that this was not his greatest moment. And knowing he was going to have to lie to Ikki about it wasn't helping him. Ikki couldn't know though, because he couldn't risk the boy's safety. Without a doubt if Ikki found out about what was going on it would only be in his nature to get himself involved.

Which in turn, Kazu dreadfully mused, if something were to actually happen to Ikki, it would all be his fault.

Kazu pulled his hat down as far as it would go without blocking his vision, making sure to cover his ears the best he could, before stepping through the door.

The Noyamano household was quickly becoming a place he could refer to as a second home. There were of course, his occasional stops at his _real _place of residence to make sure the place was still in one piece, but walking through Ikki's front door gave him a much more raw sense of warmth and belonging. Kazu assumed it had something to do with the place almost always baring company – he couldn't remember how long ago he'd gotten used to the idea of entering an empty house – and there was something wonderful about being able to walk into someone else's home and knowing he'd be welcome.

Sometimes, Kazu wasn't sure he even ever wanted to move back home.

Though today those familiar faces that he'd quickly grown accustomed to were not around the front door when he stepped in, he still felt perfectly comfortable making his way through the house unannounced. He could hear people off in the distance and decided to just make himself cozy in Ikki's room until someone found him. He had too much to think about to settle into idle conversation at the moment, anyway.

Ikki's room always smelled musky, in a way that didn't bother the senses but heightened them instead; the crow had a distinct smell that Kazu could recognize in a heartbeat, and he almost had to double check the room to make sure Ikki wasn't actually there.

It wasn't just his smell he'd memorized. It was the way he spoke, the rumbles, dips and rises, and articulation of his voice, and the gestures he used to match his moods – they were different with each emotion he carried. He had a hard time memorizing each individual smile and grin since each one was slightly different than the one before, and his mind shifted like the wind, but Kazu somehow managed to follow along with all of it…

Ikki's favorite color was red. Blue on particularly clear, inspiring, cloudless days. He'd grab ramen whenever he could afford it, ate it like it was the blood in his veins but his weak spot was really for meat – meats of all kinds because that's what men ate. His left leg was slightly weaker than his right and Ikki claimed, _swore_, he could feel the difference. He dreamed about AT at night, and breathed it during the day. His eyes, much like his hair, changed with the seasons – light to dark, dark to light, but it was a very faint difference that you had _really _pay attention to in order to catch.

And Kazu realized he was doing it again when he threw himself onto Ikki's bed, on his back with his arms and legs spread wide. Even trying to get away from thinking about Ikki couldn't stop him from thinking about Ikki, and the frustrated blonde threw and arm over his face and released a heavy breath into the fabric of his sleeve.

He jumped when his phone rang. Patting around his pocket, he grabbed the damn thing and threw it to his ear without bothering to see who it was that was calling.

"Yeah?"

There was no sound coming from the other side. Curious, Kazu sat himself up on the bed and pressed the phone closer to his ear.

"…Hello?"

"Yes! Hi!" a voice piped up suddenly.

"…Emiri?"

"What? Yeah, it… it's me," the girl managed, fumbling. "I was actually, uhm, hoping we could get together to talk?"

"Now?" the blonde quirked a brow. The track runner had given him her number a while back but had never actually dialed him before, and her sudden need to meet up with him wasn't entirely comforting. She was a girl after all, so Kazu assumed she was going to want to talk about something he _didn't_, or rather, something he wanted to avoid altogether. He looked to Ikki's door and stared at it as he spoke. "Can't you just tell me now?"

"No, I need to see you."

Kazu took in a slow, deep breath and let it out as softly as he could. His nature wasn't allowing him to refuse. The girl almost sounded distressed, or at least he thought she did, and he couldn't deny a friend in need, if that was in fact the case.

"…Yeah, where are you?"

"I'm uh, outside."

"What? Why are you…" Kazu blinked, glancing towards the window now. Then he shook his head. "Know what? Never mind. Give me a minute."

He snapped the phone shut, fixing his knit cap and rolling out of Ikki's bed and out the door. He trotted down the stairs, feeling a strange tension building up in his chest – he hated not knowing what was going on. Or what to expect.

When he reached the front door and found Emiri standing outside in the middle of the road, he approached her, bundled with his hat down low and his hood slipped up over his head for once. When he was close enough, her hands immediately flung to his shoulders and her eyes blinked up at him eagerly. The streetlights were casting odd figures across her face, making shadows dance and expressions hard to decipher. Kazu was taken aback when Emiri's hands clutched firmly at him, startled by her strange behavior and unsure how to react to it at the same time.

"Is everything ok? You're shaking," the blonde mentioned, slipping his hands out of his pockets and grasping as her shoulders as well. Emiri nodded her head ferociously.

"I had to call you, Kazu-sama! I had to see something once and for all and I knew if I didn't do it now while I had the courage, I may not get another chance!" she blurted out at once, never pausing to take a breath, desperate to get it out before something had the chance to stop her. Kazu froze, trapped. He knew it would be something like this – _knew _it!

"Look, Emiri, I..."

Emiri didn't give him a chance to say more; she gave him a giant pull, making him stumble forward where she was greedily waiting. Her lips crashed with his and lingered there – she was kissing him full on the lips. Kazu thought he may have felt her tongue asking for entrance and in his stupor he had no wit to accept or deny anything, and soon she was in his mouth and exploring.

She was slow and careful to pull away, making sure to gaze into her crush's blue eyes to look for any kind of reaction, excited, exhilarated, and terrified all at once. She was breathing heavily, mostly out of nervousness, eyes wedged wide as if they were afraid to blink and miss anything.

But Kazu wasn't saying a thing, he wasn't doing anything, he was hardly even moving; he looked too shocked to do so. He licked his lips briefly and Emiri tightened her grip on him.

"Anything?" she asked carefully. She felt like maybe she was ruining the mood by asking but damn, Kazu was like a statue. "Kazu-sama?"

The blonde blinked harshly and pulled his arms free to touch at his face, at his lips. He looked at her with an unreadable expression. Now he wondered if maybe he wasn't entirely oblivious to Emiri's feelings, but unconsciously (or consciously, who knew?) chose to ignore them instead. Because he hated upsetting girls with things they didn't want to hear. And there was no doubt in his head that Emiri was an attractive girl, but he'd never felt that pull towards her.

Not like a girlfriend. But his best girl friend.

Kazu opened his mouth, unsure. Kisses were _supposed_ to feel nice, and it wasn't that Emiri's didn't feel… well, _good_, but he finally, fully understood what Ikki was talking about. Sure, Emiri's courage had landed him in just the kind of lip-lock he had explained and imagined – fast, sudden, _bam! _– but something was noticeably missing. It didn't take him long at all to figure out what that thing was.

He didn't realize he'd spoken it out loud until Emiri blinked at him and tetchily asked him to repeat himself. And looking at her with honest, but desperately apologetic eyes, he mouthed it again, voice barely even a whisper.

* * *

It is the very next day in which it starts to really, visibly bother the girl; her eyes, the gait in which she moved, stiff and deliberate, fists clenched and lips shamelessly jutting out in an angered pout. Adachi Emiri was angrier than she wanted to be, but she didn't deny herself the privilege either.

It wasn't so much that he didn't even _return _the kiss, but he had the nerve to say… that _thing _he said, before he left her standing in the middle of the street with nothing but an apology and a tingling sensation on her lips. And in her heart, Emiri knew it was just like the boy to walk away from something he felt he had little to no control over, that there was no real cruel intention behind it, but he'd done so anyway and like an idiot she had let him.

But that thing he _said_ to her after she kissed him…

Looking for him now, she had no idea what she was going to say or how she was going to say it, or how exactly she was going to keep someone with the nickname 'Stealth' from getting away, but none of that even mattered at the moment. Lately her bravery had been doing her miraculous favors as far as getting things done was concerned. _No guts no glory_, Yayoi had once told her. And now that same bravery was sending her on a hunt for a familiar white beanie and the boy that would undoubtedly be tucked too far underneath it.

Emiri wasn't sure how or why she didn't expect it, but when she _did _find Kazu, he was walking alongside Ikki. They were doing nothing out of the ordinary; walking home alongside each other, talking the way boys talked, with the occasional punch to the other's arm.

Against her better judgment, and cursing her girlish ways, Emiri didn't feel like letting them get away, so she followed them. She made sure to stay a safe distance away; close enough not to lose them but far away enough that she couldn't make out any of their conversation. But she watched them closely; terribly, intently close…

At first she thought nothing about the way Ikki would keep reaching over to mess with Kazu's hat and hair, or nudge him a little on the arm and sometimes grab him to keep him from falling _because _of it… but then it kept happening. Almost as if Ikki was making up excuses to touch the other boy and the whole time, Kazu had done nothing to prevent it. In fact he sometimes returned the gestures.

Emiri didn't know how long she'd been spying on them until she realized she'd tailed them all the way back to Ikki's house, where both boys stopped to have some sort of exchange of words.

Emiri suddenly wished she could read lips, since the two of them seemed to be saying an awful lot, and Kazu's expression was changing often and drastically from calm to offended to angry to relaxed again. She'd never been able to make his face convey so many different things in such a short amount of time like that – not like Ikki could.

And as she watched the two interact, she recalled the way they walked closer than two people who were just friends should have and the way their hands grazed here and there and how it emanated little to no reaction out of either of them. And when she saw them standing at Ikki's doorstep with barely any space between them, and Ikki reached out and grabbed Kazu's arm and Kazu did nothing to shake him off – but just looked straight into the crow's eyes instead – it hit her. Slapped her across the face, really.

Suddenly it was no wonder Ikki was all Kazu could talk about. Think, eat, breathe about. It no longer seemed strange that Kazu was the only one who could take such an unknowingly strong hold on the crow's emotions; making Ikki so angry, so upset, or so unbelievingly happy at any given turn. It became painfully obvious when Ikki went inside the house first, and Kazu lingered back for a moment to stare after the crow before finally following him, like Emiri was sure he always would.

* * *

The next time Ikki was alone was the next day, right after school had let out. Kazu was mysteriously missing from class again, much to her annoyance and worry, and it seemed that Ikki felt the same. He had that irritable jut of his lower lip and dipped brows as he walked, bag slung over his shoulder and one hand in his trouser's pocket. His eyes were narrowed and pointed forward but at a glance they appeared to be slightly cross-eyed. The crow was obviously pissed, but Emiri was convinced that she was more so.

So she didn't hesitate very much when she stomped over to the boy, grabbed a hold of his sleeve and spun him around to face her, which was easy to do since he was standing on wheels. For a moment they just stared into one another's eyes, determined to silently prove that one was more ticked off than the other.

"We need to talk," the track runner finally broke the silence when she remembered she was dealing with a boy, and not just any boy but Ikki, and that meant he wasn't going to back down easy. "It's about Kazu."

The crow's features lightened only a fraction but at least Emiri knew he was listening.

"I don't know where he is, so…" he huffed almost bitterly, and Emiri crossed her arms. This was going to be very ugly unless Ikki took a hold of that annoying temper of his. It was hard enough that she didn't want to do what she was about to do. Or say what she was about to say. She only had a night to prepare herself, and it wasn't nearly enough time.

After all, as a girl madly in love, she only wanted what was best for her crush. She wished him nothing but happiness and as selfish as she wanted to be with him, her heart was telling her it just wasn't the right way to be. The power of love was something she was always spouting about anyway, wasn't it; who would she be if she went ahead and went against all the things she claimed to stand for?

Perhaps it wasn't as dramatic as she was making it seem, but if anything, it sure felt that way.

Swallowing thickly, she bore into Ikki's eyes, determined to let the boy know she didn't intend to back down either.

"So if that's all you nee-"

"No," She cut him off. "I don't want to know where he is; I want to talk to _you. A__bout_ him"

When Ikki stared at her blankly, Emiri came to realize that this was going to be a lot more difficult than she'd originally thought. He was just… giving her that clueless look, mouth hanging open just slightly.

"Are all boys this stupid or are you just a special case?" She muttered testily, running her hand through her hair.

"You gonna talk to me or are you going to insult me?" Ikki grumbled. "Because if you're just going to stand there and put me down, I'm out of here."

And as if to prove his point, the crow turned on his heel but Emiri grabbed at him again. As greatly satisfying as it felt to know she could crawl under the skin of someone like Ikki – and selfishly, she concluded the boy _deserved _it for stealing away her crush – she had to have her say.

"You're a dense, intolerable, stubborn idiot, Minami Itsuki, and you don't have a clue," she began. She figured if she was going to have this chat, she was going to give it to him straight. "Have you ever even paid _attention _to how he acts around you? _For _you?"

Ikki sniffed once. Wiped at his nose with his sleeve, looked off to the side and remained silent; he'd always known Kazu to be somewhat of a people pleaser but he'd always chalked it up to another one of the boy's insecure habits. He stiffened when Emiri nudged him to get his attention. And when he met her eyes again, he nearly wished he hadn't.

"Ikki. You mean everything to him."

For a split second the girl was sure she'd struck some sort of chime in the crow's thick skull, but instead of acknowledging anything, he tore free from her.

"What are you _on_?" he barked. "You make it sound like…"

"Now you listen to me!" Emiri griped, bumping her chest against Ikki's and jamming her finger into him to make her point. "You can't tell me that you don't notice the way he hangs on your every word. The way he'll do _anything _to please you. Or how about the way you're all he talks about? All he thinks about?"

She shook her head slowly, seemingly at herself.

"I don't even know why I'm bothering; you obviously don't give him the attention he craves, or else he wouldn't be trying so damn hard!"

Ikki actually, audibly growled from within in throat. Who was this girl to judge? The crow put his bag on the ground now, adopting a sneer and towering over Emiri the best he could.

"What do you want me to do? The guy doesn't stay put for five fucking minutes; I don't even know where the hell he's at right _now_," Ikki retorted hotly, fists clenching and temper boiling. It was evident he was bothered by the lack of this knowledge, and Emiri had obviously triggered something that had been building for some time. "But you know, he doesn't need people like you trying to smother him."

Emiri was about to snap right back at him. Had her jaw dropped and her chest swelled with air, but something inside stopped her before she lost sight of her goal. The reason Kazu kept getting away from them was because they were _letting _him. And if they kept letting him, it was never going to stop.

A retreating complex, Emiri bitterly mused.

Excruciating as it was, Emiri has the strong feeling that Ikki was the only one capable of putting it to an end.

Arms now crossed over her chest and eyes downcast to her feet, she muttered her next words.

"You really don't deserve him," she sighed, rubbing at her arms as if she was cold. "But for some reason, you idiots have already made up your minds."

"…You're losing me, Adachi."

"You don't know where he is right now, right?"

Ikki only stared.

"Doesn't it bother you?"

He hesitated before rolling his shoulders forward and then back, making a sneer with an upturned lip.

"No way. He's a big boy."

"Oh come off it," Emiri growled, succeeding in keeping her tone down but not from taking up an offensive edge. "It bugs you; I know it does."

Ikki mashed his hand to his face and rubbed at it ferociously as though trying to ease away all the stress that may have been visible there. Of course it bothered him; nearly every time Kazu disappeared, he came back with cuts and bruises, a colder attitude and a deader look in his eyes. Things like that became hard to ignore after a while.

"I _do_ worry," Ikki admitted ardently, finding little ignominy in disclosing such a thing. "But believe me; Kazu doesn't _want _people trying to take care of him."

Wanting more than anything to end this conversation and head home to where maybe, just maybe, Kazu was waiting, he picked up his bag and turned away. He began his march home but didn't get very far before Emiri spoke up again, and it stopped him in his tracks.

"But you want to. Don't you?"

It hardly even sounded like it was a question. Ikki's shoulders sank and he dropped his bag again, taking steps that closed the distance between them.

"What?"

"You want to. You want to take care of him."

There was a long pause and Ikki, not wanting to be totally distrustful about it, gritted his teeth.

"Well somebody has to. He sure as hell won't."

"And you're the one that has to do it. Out of all the people in the world, you're the one he's most likely to listen to."

"How the hell do you figure that?"

The girl frowned deeply, giving him a light but meaningful shove on the arm.

"You really are dense. He loves you. And Ikki!" She waited until the boy looked directly at her. When he did, she could see something in his eyes that wasn't there when they started. "You love him too."

* * *

How dare she! And he'd repeat it; how _dare _she accuse and point her finger and tell _him _where _he _stood and what he was thinking. It was such a horrid, _girl _thing to do to explain to him his own feelings and try to make sense of his denial of those accusations. He didn't need some track runner to tell him what he was doing wrong in his personal life, let alone the relationship with his best friend. After all, boys weren't supposed to let girls – girls like Emiri, Ikki fumed – get in the way of anything.

And it wasn't like Ikki was actually taking her words all at face value, no, of course not… but he practically raced back to the house and threw the door off the hinges and hollered Kazu's name. He wasn't sure _why_ he was so angry, and above all else angry at _Kazu_, but he was, and he shouted the blonde's name again. Part of him was inclined to believe that the jet was actually hiding from him as if he knew by instinct the crow was on the hunt – because Ikki could come to terms that Kazu knew him well enough, all _too_ well – and if _that_ bothered him Ikki didn't even know anymore. Right now, he just had to find the idiot. See him with his own eyes, touch and strangle him because _god _the world was a big confusing mess and Kazu seemed to be the cause of _all_ of it.

_'You love him too.'_

And maybe, even though Kazu was oblivious to all the shit that had been going on in his life and in his head, if he stopped Kazu, everything else would stop with it. But he didn't know what he was going to actually do to the boy when he found him – _if _he found him because he hadn't responded back yet.

Ikki tore through the house, ignoring the fact that he was acting desperate over something as stupid as some girl telling him he was in love with his best friend. The feeling it gave him was foreign and therefore, threatening. Threatening meant he was out of control, and Ikki loathed such a feeling.

It was as he was going up the stairs that he realized everything around him reminded him of the boy. His history was everywhere; here, the front door was where he stumbled when Ikki dragged his sorry ass in from the rain. He hiccupped on the fifth step of the stairs and then sneezed. They were in the kitchen when they fended off Sano, and over there in the living room watching television on the nights when Kazu stayed in one place.

As he went upstairs and checked the bathroom, there was the memory of when Kazu was sick, and there, right there was where _he _stood to hold his hair back. Ikki dropped a curse and stormed down the hall, past the place he held Kazu's hand while trying to get past a jealous Akito, and into his room where, good lord, signs of Kazu were just _everywhere_. His smell, a gentle twinge of the ocean and if you were close enough, raw autumn mornings – a faint but definite smell. The sheets were mussed and there was a small rip in the sheets over his mattress from trying to get the guy out of his wet clothes and there, right there was where he'd fallen asleep…

"_Kazu!_" Ikki seethed stormily, almost desperately. He whipped his head around as if Kazu would be standing right there, snickering at him. But he wasn't. "The hell are you now!?"

That was about the time it hit him. Emiri didn't have to be right about everything but she was right about one thing at least; it _bothered _him to no end when Kazu did this. When he didn't know where he was. He knew he wasn't the blonde's caretaker and he certainly wasn't able to keep him under lock and key but it _wasn't _ok for him to keep running off in the middle of the night as if he has some big ass secret.

Ikki ceased his rampage, pausing to stare at the bed, specifically where Kazu had once occupied it. What was he doing...? If he stayed silent and allowed Kazu to continue whatever he was doing, coming home worse than when he left and never speaking two words on the matter unless he was cornered, did he really expect it all to go away?

His head was swimming when he crashed on the bed and stared accusingly at the ceiling above. His fingers cramped with the way he was clutching at the front of his shirt since he didn't _have _a neck to throttle and Kazu was of course missing _again_.

"Fuck," he spat, drilling his hand into his pocket, tugging out his phone and pulling Kazu up on speed dial. It rang once… twice…

Ikki was certain the boy wasn't going to pick up. Tonight was one of the rare nights he hated being right. It went straight to Kazu's voicemail, which Ikki didn't leave because it wasn't going to give him the instant results that he wanted. He snapped the phone shut. Was about to try again when his ears picked up on the front door opening.

Feeling like a dog eager to greet his master, Ikki sprang to his feet and sprinted downstairs, catching the one person he'd been wanting to see as he was shutting the door quietly behind him and dumping his AT's on the floor.

"You!" he shouted nearly comically, pointing a rigid finger and causing the other teen to jump.

"M-me?"

"Yes, you, dumbass," Ikki growled, noting the paleness of Kazu's skin and the bags boasting under his blue eyes. He looked like he hadn't slept in ages, but Ikki didn't comment on it. "Where the hell did you go? Or better yet, where the hell have you _been _going?"

Kazu blinked, taken aback. His brows furrowed in a way that showed he wasn't prepared for this type of interrogation, so Ikki wasn't entirely surprised when the boy was unable to give him a direct answer. It couldn't be that big of a secret, could it? Big enough that he couldn't tell the one person he trusted most in the world? Kazu leaned all his weight against the door, hand blindly searching for the handle. Ikki captured his arm before anything could be done…

But released it immediately when Kazu hissed in what could only be pain.

"The hell?" the crow grumbled, taking Kazu's wrist now with one hand and sliding his sleeve up with the other. There were bruises, much like before but ones that were definitely not there the last time. Ikki's eyes flashed red when he jerked his head up to meet Kazu's. "What, you goin' to some damn fight club or something?"

"Huh?" Kazu piped up, making an incredibly exasperated face. "No, dude."

"Then what? What in the world could you possibly be doing that you… What the hell is this?"

Kazu hiccupped a short breath of air and tensed up when Ikki reached out and cradled his right ear with bewildered fingers. His eyes stared disbelievingly at the shining golden loop that now clung to the blonde's lobe.

"You… pierced your ear?" Ikki quirked a brow.

"Uh! I… I didn't… I mean, it's not…" Kazu tried at first before roughly shoving the crow away.

He tried to back away but was reminded of the door blocking his exit. His mouth had a hard time forming that dreaded three letter word. Any second now, he was sure Ikki was going to start laughing it up because how could he explain that it was thanks to the team he was riding for behind his best friend's back that his right ear was pierced, and that it apparently meant he was a _fag_.

The very concept of it sent those flags in his head right on up again, and with one short-lived look into Ikki's unreadable eyes, he gripped the loop between his thumb and forefinger. He'd just remove the damn thing – rip it right off if that's what it took, and he was about to give the piece of jewelry a mighty jerk in his trepidation, but just as he was about to grit his teeth and _do _it, Ikki's hand quickly migrated to his and kept him from doing so.

"Ikki, what?"

"What the hell are you doing? I think it… It looks good on you, man."

Kazu made an indefinable sound from his throat and slowly lowered his hand, which Ikki never released.

"Right?"

"Yeah," the crow breathed and then regained his serious face. "But getting your ear pierced doesn't usually result in things like this."

Once again, Ikki slid Kazu's sleeve up his arm to reveal those nasty looking marks. Kazu eyed them, then Ikki, which he immediately regretted because he'd never seen the crow look as _pissed _as he did right there. If he wasn't speechless before, he surely was now. He hadn't thought about excuses, so he resorted to the only tactic that made sense to him at the time.

"Leave it alone!" he sparked, shoving Ikki with both hands this time, but Ikki shoved him right back.

"I won't leave it alone! _Kazu_, there's someone out there trying to kill people like us," Ikki reminded him. He didn't think the blonde could be so stupid as to forget about something like that. "And you keep coming and going and I have to keep seeing shit like _this_." Briefly he lifted Kazu's arm in between them so they could both get a good look at it. "So if you were ever planning on filling me in, now's a pretty damn good time."

But Kazu couldn't. Telling the crow would be like sending him to his death, and that wasn't something he was willing to risk.

Kazu wasn't sure what he was doing; it was like his body was moving of its own violation, but he balled up his fist and drew it back as far as it could go, before sending it rocketing at Ikki's face. There was a sharp sound neither boy wanted to identify as a pair of knuckles met with cheekbone, and as Ikki cradled his face and stumbled back, Kazu took advantage of it to head out the front door.

Ikki breathed heavily into his one palm, reaching blindly with the other for the door. Kazu probably thought he was home free for another night, but Ikki was determined not to let that be the case. He shook his head to clear it and semi-stumbled out the door. He saw Kazu racing down the street, only visible when he passed under the streetlights.

Something started swimming in the pit of Ikki's stomach. He had no idea where Kazu was headed, when or even _if _he'd be back and in what condition. It restricted his throat and twisted his chest into something excruciating. He could give Emiri credit where credit was due; it bothered the hell out of him. It made it hard to sleep at night, hard to focus during the day and all because of that guy.

The thing that stood out to Ikki the most as he watched the jet's retreating back was the very sound of the soles of Kazu's shoes smacking the pavement, meaning there was a chance to…

Quick as his fumbling fingers would allow, Ikki slid his AT's over his feet and zipped out the door, hitting the ground with a burst of speed that caught Kazu's attention. The boy started to move with a new level of speed but in spite of being fast on his feet, Kazu wasn't a match for Ikki's wheels when he himself only had sneakers.

_It's for your own good,_ Ikki kept repeating to himself. _I'm doing this for your own damn good._

Kazu skidded to a stop when Ikki caught up and blocked him off. He attempted to turn to another direction but Ikki reached out, balling his fist in the front of Kazu's sweatshirt and throwing him up against the closest thing; in this case, trunk of an old tree. The bark dug into the blonde's back but he was too petrified to really react to the sharp twinge it gave him.

"Shit, Ikki, I'm sorry," he sputtered angrily but sincerely. "I didn't mean to-! I mean, I don't know why I–"

"Just shut it for a second," Ikki commanded, and Kazu, forever bound by the habit of blind loyalty, did. He lowered his head but raised his eyes to look at his team leader. Ikki scowled daggers, even with a slightly swollen cheek and faintly straining eye. "Why are you acting this way?"

"What way?"

"You know! This… this _way_!" Ikki struggled. "You act like I'm out to get you. You're avoiding me, man, and I don't get _why_."

With the last word he pushed Kazu harder against the tree, while at the same time very mindful of the way the other teen winced from it.

"You wouldn't get it even if I explain it to you," Kazu finally lifted his head. And after he was given a short moment to really take in Ikki's expression, he spoke cautiously. "Ikki… Are you… Are you worried?"

Ikki blinked, mouth going slack as he stared at Kazu in total and utter disbelief. Kazu knew his question was a mistake by the way Ikki's fingers were starting to crack one by one with his increasingly tight grip.

"Are you fucking insane? Do you really think I'm the only person I give a damn about?" Ikki growled, fisting his hand so much he was close to feeling his own fingernails through Kazu's shirt. "Of _course _I'm worried! And I'm pissed the fuck off because you keep giving me _reasons _to. Kazu, you won't even tell me where you go at night."

It was Kazu's cue to jump in and defend himself, ask and raise some more complicated questions and enrage his friend further, but he looked off into the distance behind Ikki as if struck with a realization before wetting his lips and shakily opening his mouth.

"I… I'm sorry," he said carefully, shrugging his shoulders feebly, hating the way he could never speak the way he wanted to speak when it mattered the most. "…for making you worry. I didn't even think that you'd, I mean…"

Kazu took in another breathe but didn't get the chance to use it.

"But," Ikki mumbled aloud, ducking his head down to where all he could see was their feet; his own legs shaking and feet pointing straight, Kazu's slightly pidgin-toed. "It's not anything I can really explain. I care about everyone on the team. And the people in my family, and the kids at our school…"

Kazu felt Ikki's grip loosen considerably, but he never let him go.

"But _god_, Kazu…" his head went low again, bangs shielding whatever expression his face bore. It didn't… _have _to be the L word that Emiri had so haphazardly thrown at him, but it didn't mean every word she said was a lie. He didn't know what it was he was feeling and didn't necessarily feel like he had to put a name to it just yet, but he knew there was something there that he was just starting to come to terms with. "With you, I didn't know… I didn't think so damn _much_."

He realized he wasn't making much sense anymore, that he'd strayed from where he was and only making a fool of himself, and he whipped his head up with a ferocious need in his eyes, coming face to face – nose to nose – with Kazu, who had the most preciously confused eyes and a beautiful shade of sunrise pink blooming across his fair cheeks. The blonde was holding his breath, Ikki could tell, probably not sure what he expected the crow to do.

In actuality, Ikki wasn't so sure himself.

"I think…" Ikki tried, attempting to taste the dangerous thoughts that were in his head on his tongue.

But Kazu ripped away from him for yet another time and Ikki could hear the boy breathing heavily as he pushed his legs to carry him faster. And Ikki fumed enough to cause his skin to heat; he'd lost count of the times Kazu had chosen to run away from his problems, his life, _him_, and he was dead set on putting and end to it once and for all. This time, Ikki was going to chase the blonde until his AT's fell apart on his feet.

And why? Well he couldn't say. The possibilities were simply too terrifying and perhaps that was why Kazu had opted to run again – maybe he could sense those possibilities and they scared him, too. But Ikki was never fond of ignoring things like this, or letting uncomfortable feelings sit, simmer and boil. No, he liked to understand and control them, and that's just what he was going to do. It sent his heart racing and his mind buzzing, vision practically blurring when he looked upwards with all the things swarming inside of him. The feeling sitting dormant inside was not a bad one, not something to hate and avoid, but it was something he wanted to cure before it took him over completely.

When he was finally able to shake his head and focus on where he was and remember what was going on, he realized he'd lost sight of the boy causing everything. But even if he could no longer see him, Ikki remembered what direction he'd taken off to, and he gave chase for the second time that night.

Kazu headed for the busier parts of town, crowded with night owls, traffic and the like. As pointless as he knew it was – for Ikki was bound to catch up to him eventually and he had to return to the house _some time _– his legs couldn't stop moving. Refused to. They took him to the school grounds, where he chose to take refuge in the bleachers facing the playing turf that lay cradled in the center of the track field. Scrambling up to the very top, he flattened himself to his belly to hide from sight.

"Look at me," he muttered to himself. A shameful sight, he was sure, but there was just something about facing Ikki when he was like that that just sent his senses and rationality out the window. It had always been that way.

But no matter how long and hard he hid from the crow, that wasn't going to mend all the mistakes he'd made. Avoiding Ikki like the plague was doing nothing for his image and reputation, and it most definitely wasn't going to keep him any safer from the Devil and his team if they ever found out who he was. Why couldn't Ikki just stay out of it and make it easier for him to protect the guy?

He heard the resonating sound of a tiny but powerful AT motor before he actually saw Ikki. He landed on the opposite side of the bleachers, grinding quickly along it and closing the distance they shared between them. In an unreasonable panic, Kazu jumped to his feet and ran to the edge of the bleachers. Looking down, it was about a good 30 or 40 foot drop or so to the ground, but Ikki was just behind him and closing in, so he took a deep breath…

And jumped.

His limbs flailed ungracefully; flying without AT's on his feet was nothing but falling.

His ears easily picked up on Ikki jumping right after him, and his body went instantly weightless when Ikki's hands grabbed at him. Kazu loved and loathed the feeling it handed to him; it seemed like Ikki was always catching him, but instead of just catching him and leading him skillfully and safely to the ground, he tugged him even higher into the sky along _with_ him. Like a bird plucking a scrap of bread off the ground in a single swoop.

Just when they'd reached the highest point of their 'jump', Ikki's hands once again tightly clenched in Kazu's sweatshirt, the crow could only focus on three things: one was the way Kazu's hair and skin _glowed _under the moon's light. Secondly, what a ridiculous notion it was – that Emiri had given to him, of course – to love the very person that sometimes made him hate himself.

And the third thing, the ever-repetitive thought that if he was curious about something… if he wanted something, then _why not_?

But Ikki was silently assured that it _wasn't_ Akito's innocent advice or Emiri's officious advocating that made him crane his neck, but his own body moving of its own conscious will that gently led his lips to Kazu's.

And he didn't pull away, but lingered because he was memorized by how well their lips fit together and how Kazu seemed to be experiencing the same perplexing wonderment by staying there as well. Ikki lazily opened his eyes only for a moment, noticed the way Kazu's eyes were desperately closed, that there was no longer an up or down, no such thing as objects or colors, and that there was no longer a difference between and flying and falling. Easily he swept his hands under the other boy to hold him as they began their descent.

The most amazing thing to Ikki that he noticed before he let his lids drift shut was the wind blowing at his hair and the way his feet were still nowhere near the ground.


	19. Win or Lose

**A/N: **How the hell do you even WRITE two boys' interaction after a chapter like 'Airborne'? I'll tell you, I have no freakin' clue, but I'm giving it a go anyway. I kind of have to, to keep the story going. A piece of advice my friends, don't stick to writing the stuff you're used to. Write about stuff you have no idea how to write - seriously, give it a try. You'll be able to write a lot better, and a lot more.

I have no idea how this chapter got up so fast, but don't get too excited - I'm in my final few weeks of school so I'm getting less and less time I want to work on this thing.

And! I'm so so sorry, guys! I KNOW there are still Ikkazu stuffs on ffnet I've yet to review. I will get to them, you have my word.

So, ffnet is still trying to _feck_ with my transistions and paragraphing and all that. With MUCH tending to, the last chapter managed to get out just fine but just to cover my ass, if something seems off about this chapters set up, just let me know and I'll fix it.

uhmmmm ok!

**Thoughts I wanted to share: **You know how there's a favorite author option? I'm kinda starting to wish there was a favorite reviewer option...

If fanfiction was a catagory in libraries and bookstores, like fiction and fantasy etc etc... We'd all be freaking rich, and I'd be in those places all the dame time.

I mentioned it before and I think Imma keep mentioning it until it happens, but if anyone is going to **Otakon **in August, you should totally let me know! Kitten and I will both be there (dressed as Ikki and Kazu) and we'd love to meet you!

**Warnings: **possibly wonky page set up, me once again writing situations I've never written before, possible grammar stuffs, I hate this chapter, yadda yadda

**Disclaimer: **I forget to put this in sometimes. Not mine!

Once again, a huge **thank you! **to all my readers and reviewers. If it wasn't for all of you, there would be no story. Iknow the kiss took FOREVER to get to and I wanna thank you all as a whole for sticking with this story so long.

**Flawless Beauti: **I'm trying to update the best I can, 'coz I know hard it can be sometimes to wait. (cough) There is nothing right with bouncing around the room, love. Last lines are actually one of my biggest fears as a writer, hah, so thank you!

**Misguided Angel of Death: **After you said it, I listened to that song - it's very pretty. I was listening to Sara Bareilles Gravity which helped tons. Cry..? I didn't know I had that kind of power. (Isn't episode 21.5 cute?) As for what Kazu said to Emiri, you'll find out this chapter. I'm glad you picked up on to Emiri dropping the 'sama'. Thanks for the beautiful review.

**november-eyes: **I really like Emiri - since the beginning I wanted to give her an important role and by your review I see she did her job well. Where would boys be without us girls, huh? I'm a tad irritated at how much Kazu has been running in my story but now that Ikki has a hold of him, hopefully...

**Tinkob: **I've never seen the word perfect used so much in such a short cluster of words. Geez you're flattering, thank you! Straight from the manga, I wish! lol a real seme XD But yus! For once in my life, I'm semi-happy with the way the ending of achapter turned out - I'm super happy you liked it!

**melchan13: **Yus! Yus they did! It seems like it took FOREVER to get to this point (it did, really. wtf this many chapters in? XD) so you can bet better stuffs is in store for the future of FaS - you just gotta hang tight.

**Sagri: **Thank you, dear! I never mind if people don't really know what to say, heh, just knowing that you'd hit the review button to tell me so means wonders to me. So don't be sorry, I'm glad I could leave you speachless.

**Jen Sweden: **holy crap someone else cried too? (checks back) I didn't even know I wrote anything that could bring anyone to that. I always take my time in writing but I always update as soon as I can - hope it satisfies! And hey! Real men cry, so there's nothing wrong with us girls doing the same!

**Slifer: **"Finally" is the first thing that comes into MY mind when I realize a chapter is long enough to post! Hurrah, I'm serving smiles! Ikki and Kazu are just so perfect they're hard not to love, so writing them is like my meditation, lol.

**Jaws Ryu-ookami: **I can only keep apologizing to everyone for making them wait so long for that damn kiss to happen. I'm not sure whats going on with fictionpress or ffnet at the moment, but its making editing and updating a real pain. I hope you like this chapter as much as the last one!

**iKat.13: **To be honest, I think it might be my favorite so far too. At least the last part of it. Victory, I like that word to describe a kiss XD It makes me smile. I really hope to wright future chapters worthy of the love the ending of the last chapter got.

**firedraygon: **Emiri is pretty sweet, yus? Emiri strikes me as the type that would get really upset over something like rejection but wouldn't sink into a depression. Emo just doesn't seem like her. Maybe that's just me, but yus! Thank you!

**bigfatsamantha: **Oh hunny I love replying to reviews. I want people to feel the time they've taken to review is worth it. Glad you stuck around to see the kiss happen, and noooo lol, carve something into Kazu!! lol though I did leave that cliffy open so people could assume the worst, but yus, tis just an earring.

**Puddles-dono: **I can't even beging to hint to you what will happen to / with Ikki and Kazu after that kiss 'coz it's going to be super hard for me to write but let's hope it matches standards. I was going to do an art major but I like it more as a hobby, I think writing may be my calling.

**DL: **Well thank you! One of my main goals is to paint a picture for people to see in their heads - coz when I write, I see it alllll play out in my head like a movie, and I wanna share it with everyone!

**Blizzy: **Oh Blizzy my dear I get so excited when I see I have a review from you! Making you fangirl is starting to become a favorite pasttime of mine. I have to get to those stories sometime too... I love Hot Fuzz, lol. I LOVE you for picking up on so many small things, like Ikki thinking the "L word" - hur hur I loved that comic. I spotted the one you were talking about right away!

**Chubby-King-Chocobo: **Sooo happy you loved it, dear! You got just what I was shooting for, as far as feeling like your flying. Be giddy, there is no shame in it! And thank you for the review, please enjoy the next chapter!

**ranchan-akari: **I (heart) YOU for reviewing and reading and for your lovely compliments! Me and you can elope if you like, long as that fangirl flag can go at the back of our limo instead of a 'just married' sign.

**KidAngel: **Hey there darling! ;alsdjfas;lfja;l thank you !! I still go to your art page and look at those Ikkazu pictures when I'm bored.

**BlackFlameRose: **You wanted moar!? lol, the last chapter may have been the longest! eeheee I love the thought of Kazu being labled by an earring, and him leaving it in only because Ikki seems to think it looks good on him. And yus, kissing in mid air was something I've been planning to write since FaS's prologue came out! So happy it happend and that you loved it!

**Forgetfull: **Yus, it WAS the chapter everyone was waiting for! I hope it was worth it! Yayoi, for being somewhat of a side/supporting character, is actually really easy to wright because she has a lot of realistic qualities to her. I really really wish for you to enjoy this chapter!

**FallenAngelKiya: **lol well not many people other than Ikki and Kazu could pull of a stunt like that, me thinks! Emiri really got her moment in the spotlight, even though she wasn't the star, if you know wht I mean. Hope the update was fast enough for you.

**MindFuel: **I've never had so many people tell me that a scene from my hand is beautiful so it really means a lot to me. Don't talk about food, you make me hungry... lol enjoy the next chapter!

**Arrow.Aero.Air: **That name took me a while to type without screwing up... omg you couldn't SLEEP!? because of this? Holy crap - thank you, i think! I can't promise this chapter will leave you with fanservice but you can bet there will be more in the future.

**Udyjay: **Hey you! Thanks again for the art! It was lovely! lol jesus bags? I'm assuming by your random splurge of text and letters that you enjoyed the last chapter... Thanks again, so much, for taking the time to review all of my fics, dear!

**Jess: **Actually at first the chapter was too short! Then I started writing Ikki and Kazu's scene and it just bulked the story up by about 6 or 7 pages - it was worth it though! Such kind and wonderful feedback! Ikki tie Kazu up, you say? Hur hur, maybe for a oneshot when I have the time. For you!

**AnonyMouse: **How are you doing, hun? You seem to grasp Kazu's character just the way I try to portray him - I love you for that. Things I like to write: friendship. So Emiri and Yayoi are a joy (tho sometimes Yayoi's name will come out as 'yaoi' and I just ... bahh..) I wanted to give Kazu's earring meaning, instead of just "ahh he'd be cute with one so why not". And hurrah to dumb boys wising up! Thanks for the review, love.

**JackiexERcore: **Hey there! Thank you so much for reviewing, and for letting me know you've been reading. I'm happy that this chapter inspired you to hit the review button! The kiss was soooo fun to wright, even though it was only a couple of paragraphs. Your inspiration you say? I'm honored XD

**Nightshade47: **great chapter! great story! great reviewer! great gods, thank you for the review. Greatly.

**nonday: **aw I wanted Ikki and Kazu's first kiss to be sweet, gentle, and timid, 'coz its a first (legit, lol) kiss and there's no way they'd dive into it and chew each others faces off. Yeah, I'm not sure why episode 21.5 was so underground that no one knew about it! I stumbled across it by total accident.

**Tohru Daihikashousha: **aw thank you so much! I worked extra hard on the last chapter! Much appreciate you taking time to review, darling!

**MisakiTsuki: **lol, at least you got to read it though, am I right!? the last THREE? Really? Ehe that makes me happy, thanks! I love making fangirls swoon (its a sick kick I have, I swear!) Don't get too hyped tho, a kiss is just a kiss unless you make it more! It's up to Ikki and Kazu now.

**Dhew: **bad english my butt! I think I caught like one error in your entire review, and it was the tiniest thing! I love you soooo much for taking the time to leave me such lengthy reviews when you seem to be nervous about your english. You seem so sweet, when I open a review and see your name I literally went "aww"! You leave me the most precious and flattering compliments, thank you sooo much! I hope you keep reading.

**Versus: **ahah glad to make your day! Throwing in Emiri's rejection and Ikki and Kazu's first kiss sends you in a mix of feelings, yus? You don't have to be sane to get your message across, I think, and I got what you were trying to say just fine. Thank you!

**: **Hurm, darling I wish I could say more to you than just thank you but thank you!

**Endy: **come back to meeee

**Kitten: **Smile ILU!

I hope I got everyone.. Responding to reviews is starting to take me an hour or longer...

* * *

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**Air Gear**

_a fiction by Crimson Vixen_

**Win or Lose**

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As sunny as the day was, Emiri couldn't bring herself to enjoy it.

She couldn't help but feel like her time had been wasted with the time and effort she'd spent doting and pining after Kazu, since the boy obviously didn't harbor the same feelings for her that she had for him. She was more angry than upset – but couldn't bring herself to be angry with _him_, since feelings were something she knew could never be forced – and fussing about it to the guy that denied her would only make her look worse, she was sure of that. But she would be lying if she said she didn't cry over it. Which in the end only made her feel worse because it was an unwritten girl law that boys were not worth any tears. But that rule only seemed to apply when your heart wasn't the one that was breaking.

She did the right thing, she kept telling herself. She did the right thing.

Even it hurt like fire expanding from her insides. When Kazu had left her standing there, grabbing onto a streetlight post was all she could do to keep from crashing to her knees.

And, heading to Yayoi's place didn't even require her to pay attention to where she was going. Like a newborn turtle to the sea, she was drawn there automatically in her time in need. Emiri didn't even bother knocking. Surely Yayoi would be able to make her feel better about the choices she'd made. And maybe she could ease the rage that was threatening to take a hold of her.

"Emiri, you're early?" the older track runner appeared from the kitchen and ran to her friend's side, immediately aware of the weighty distress clouding her face. Putting an arm around Emiri's shoulders, Yayoi led her to the couch and sat her down. "I just got off the phone with Ringo. She's on her way."

"Thank you so much," Emiri muttered, hands folded tightly in her lap. "You're always…"

"Why don't you tell me about it," Yayoi cut in and rubbed her friend's back, a sign of comfort and sympathy that eased Emiri's indescribable mood. She nodded heavily and dabbed at her eyes with her palms.

Yayoi's best friend instincts were on high when she'd received the distress call from Emiri not much earlier. Ironically, Ringo had an experience not that different from the other track runner's – she and Emiri were the people Ringo had turned to for comfort since they'd known about her massive crush on the crow – so Yayoi's first thought was to collect these breaking hearts and mend them before it was irreparable. Perhaps it sounded a little exaggerated and perhaps she wasn't able to save any worlds with the attention she was giving it, but she sure as hell was going to try.

Through Emiri's babbling, she could feel her phone vibrating from within her pocket. Undoubtedly Onigiri was calling her to make plans for that night, but she silently apologized to her boyfriend and refocused her attention on Emiri.

"So I met up with him after we hung up; I told him we needed to talk," she said stuffily, plucking a tissue out of the box that Yayoi had smartly planted there beforehand – the girl just knew how to prepare for everything. "So we get together. A-and I kiss him."

Yayoi's eyes sprang wide. She'd definitely taken note to Emiri's rapidly growing and changing behavior but she never actually expected her to make a move like_ that_. She was actually rather proud; Emiri had taken leaps sooner than she had expected. Still, seeing as Emiri wasn't in the happiest of moods right now, the story couldn't have had a happy ending. Scooting a bit closer to offer more support, Yayoi urged her friend to go on.

"And then what happened?"

"And, and _then! _Oh _and then_!" she said dramatically, throwing her hand into the air, trying to make a disgusted face and only half-succeeding. "Then, after I asked him if he felt anything, do you know what he had the nerve to say!? Go on, guess!"

"Emiri…"

"First of all, he's just standing there with this dumb little smile and this spaced out expression on his face and he says, you know what he says?" Emiri absolutely fumed, her face going redder the more she spoke. Crush or no, boys had to be the dumbest creatures on earth! "He goes, 'Sorry Emiri! It just didn't feel _legit_!'"

The nerve…

Emiri turned and gave her friend an angered expression. Again she threw her hands into the air.

"Who _says_ that!?"

Yayoi only sighed. It was apparent that Emiri was pretty stung by her let down, and damning and insulting the boy who had hurt her was the only way she could think of to ease her mind, even if it was just a little. When Emiri used up her current tissue and tossed it over her shoulder and into the waiting trash bag, Yayoi excused herself for a moment, only to come back with a full roll of toilet paper. Somehow, she didn't think the box of tissues was meant to last the night.

Call her crazy.

Through her puffy eyes and constant sniffling, Emiri allowed herself a small laugh before taking the roll in her hands and ripping off a piece. As soon as she brought the thin paper to her nose, the doorbell rang.

"That's probably Ringo," Yayoi mentioned as she made her way to the door. Emiri stared at her hands, listening closely to the mumbled conversation and greeting at the door, and when she looked up, both Yayoi and Ringo were rounding the couch. The young track runner swallowed sloppily – how was she going to tell Ringo that the boy that had let her down… possibly did so for the boy that turned _her _down?

Ringo offered a smile, but it was painfully easy to sense her discomfort. The storm rider thought quickly on her feet and was good at making excuses and shrugging people off, but she was a terrible actor. Her emotions were strong, and they often plastered themselves all over her face and in her body language.

She sat herself in the middle of the couch and without hesitation, put her hand on Emiri's knee when she saw the shimmer in her eyes.

Yayoi clapped her hands together, and, wanting it to be a night of productivity and not a pity-fest or a night where strong girls sat around feeling sorry for themselves, suggested putting on their night clothes. She'd let Emiri and Ringo tell their tales, but she was going to make this night as painless as she could while she was at it.

But whichever turn the night took, all three girls shared the same unspoken feeling that it was going to be a long one.

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Ikki couldn't call it a mistake. He knew very well that what he did, what he'd done, and that he did so by choice – because he was curious. Because he wanted to.

For some reason he figured it'd last forever and they would never part and never land, but they did, and they eventually had to stop and look at one another and acknowledge it, and they were clueless as to what was supposed to take place next.

Stuff like that didn't happen every day.

Ikki couldn't remember much after they'd landed. Just that Kazu didn't flail or scream or hit or _run_, and that the silence on the way home was excruciating and tenfold on the roof right now; their eyes were avoidant and distractions were scarce.

But the fact of the matter was, continuing ignore the subject was doing nothing for them.

Kazu was in obvious discomfort, shoulders stiff and hat pulled low. He shimmied further back on the roof until he reached the tallest point. Ikki did the same, trying to justify in his head how kissing his best friend was meant to solve anything or give him answers he craved.

Ikki leaned forward to rest his arms on his knees. Those stupid romance movies were misleading and displayed everything all wrong. Randomly kissing someone you knew wasn't romantic at all – it was awkward and nerve-wracking. He didn't know what to do or say afterwards, and meeting the eyes of the person he'd kissed was the hardest thing Ikki had ever done in his life. Still, Ikki and Kazu forced themselves to look, at seemingly the same time.

But seeking answers was a difficult thing to do when you weren't really sure what you were trying to ask.

To Ikki's surprise, it was the jet who made the first move.

"So…" he drawled, and somehow, it felt like the entire world stopped and everything was watching them to see where things went. "…What… was that?"

Kazu felt stupid and childish. Above all else at the moment, he wanted to know for sure if what had happened was an actual, tangible, real _thing_, and if Ikki had a clear head at the time, considering all the shit that the both of them had been forced to endure up till now, or if somehow Ikki was mocking him. It was hard for him to struggle with excuses, but he only sought after them because it was horrifying to think that what he once thought was a strong bond with his childhood friend could possibly be something much more treacherous. Something like… feelings for Ikki.

After all, the kiss didn't feel.. _wrong_.

So as Kazu sat on the roof tiles and pondered about things like authenticity – because, after all, the idea seemed imaginary and should there be a day where he would be able to say the words 'I think I love another boy' it would be a day he would have to acknowledge that it meant he _wasn't _straight, and that the earring on his ear wasn't just a bad joke – Ikki locked his shoulders, crossed his arms tighter and tried to think of other things. For instance, at the beginning of the night, he was on the hunt for answers. Why was Kazu being so secretive? Why wasn't he able to know about it? Where was he going? How long had this been going on and how long was it going to last? Now the night was starting to come to a close, and he found that he was just as clueless – if not _more so_ – than he was when he started.

He wasn't the guy's mother or anything. He didn't need the whole damn story, at least not tonight. But that didn't mean he'd be happy leaving _this_ night empty handed.

"Not sure," Ikki shrugged honestly, remembering the question that was brought to light seemingly forever ago. "I still don't know."

"Well shit, Ikki!" Kazu spoke quickly. "Those aren't the kind of things you just do on a _whim_, you know?"

He burned red, that obvious discomfort snaking into his voice. He shrunk back as far as he could when Ikki snapped his head to the side and gave a threatening glare.

"Do you have any idea how fucking hard this is for me?" Ikki said in a low but powerful voice. Sure it was him who had made the move and allowed a tidal wave of questions and uncertainties into their already fucked up lives, but that didn't mean he had a set list of reasons behind it other than, well, _because_. Becuase why not?

"Let's talk about something else for now," Ikki scowled, shaking his head. It was something they needed to cover, but not right this second. Not when there were other matters to take care of. "Like you, and what you've been doing. And me, being out of the loop."

"What? You're still on about that?"

"Well yeah, dumbass. I'm not just going to up and forget about it just because-"

Ikki cut himself off right there, too fretful to speak a sentence like that out loud. _Because I kissed you _didn't seem like the kind of thing you just said so bluntly without feeling that twinge of uncertainty. But the truth was, he _was _about to say it, because it _did _happen, and it couldn't _un_happen, and Ikki somehow managed to look over at Kazu and stare the boy down in what felt like an intimidating way.

And Kazu, knowing what was meant to run off the crow's tongue, being ever curious and still in desperate need of answers, crawled along the roof on all fours to get closer, and hovered his mouth about a foot away from Ikki's ear.

"Why _did_ you?"

The crow's eyes flicked down to Kazu's new earring, taking in the glow and shine it carried under the light of the stars, and memorizing the perfect curve and thin build. Then he looked at Kazu's face as a whole, as a picture, and silently decided that it suited the blonde just right.

"Kazu, I…" the words just wouldn't come to him. Too foreign. Too risky. So he changed his tone, forcing a hand to the back of his head to scratch nervously at his scalp. This was certainly difficult; Kazu trying to make sense of their… _thing_,and him, trying to solve another mystery entirely. Still... "You can't be mad at me."

Kazu huffed and strained to keep his eyes on Ikki's.

"Because," Ikki sputtered on, frantic for someone to speak, even if it was his own voice he was hearing. But _in _that need to hear noise, he didn't think to stop himself before he blurted; "Because you were kissing me back."

A full blown tomato red ravished Kazu's entire face in three seconds flat, and Ikki feared he was doing the same because his face had gone suddenly, uncomfortably hot. Trying to shake the feeling away, and without thinking about what it may have looked and seemed like, Ikki took Kazu's wrist in his hand and squeezed.

"More importantly, why did you run?"

"It's always this with you-"

"Don't give me that. Answer my question," the crow demanded. "You admitted it yourself that things have gotten weird between us. Why do you think that is?"

The jet ran his tongue over his teeth before humming a sigh. It was very much like Ikki to try to pin the blame on other people, but this one was hard to escape since really, it _was _his fault that a bubble of tension started floating around them, invading their space. Yeah, he was looking to protect the stubborn rider by avoiding him altogether, but Kazu wondered now, was that really the right method? He wasn't ready to play with the idea of losing the crow completely. But by pushing him away like he'd been doing, he was doing just that.

Kazu released an unidentifiable sound and seated himself closer next to Ikki, so close that their knees were touching. To be able to do such a thing when they were questioning that very premise only raised more queries to mind.

"Look, I know it's all my doing, okay? I _know_," Kazu said carefully, watching Ikki's reaction with cautious eyes. "And I know that… it isn't fair of me to keep things from you."

At the same time, they both reached the same understanding; Ikki didn't like being lied to and Kazu didn't like having to lie. So the crow twisted his body to fully face Kazu, and the jet took in a painfully deep breath and emptied his lungs before doing the same.

He supposed if they were going to talk, it would be alright for him to leak details vague enough for him to walk away without too much trouble. If anything, talking about this meant they didn't have to talk about… other things. Like why they were sitting so suffocatingly close or why even though he was confused, _being _that close was somehow comfortable.

"I..." he paused, licked his dry lips and dropping his shoulders. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything," Ikki said firmly, causing Kazu's ears to burn. Telling him _everything_ was impractical; he could hardly _remember_ everything. Ikki slid his fingers lightly up Kazu's arm to his elbow. Kazu shuddered at the touch and gave Ikki a questioning glare just as the crow spoke. "But let's start with these."

Oh.

Although his arms were already covered, Kazu tugged his sleeves down until they covered his knuckles.

The truth was going to be hard to evade, he soon discovered. Falling or tripping, or getting hit by a few rocks didn't seem like a logical excuse since things like that didn't normally result in marks that acutely resembled that of a grown man's hand. Besides that, Ikki already knew that there was another person involved. He just didn't know who.

Sensing Kazu's hesitation, Ikki cleared his throat.

"And don't lie to me."

Right. The truth… The truth…

"I don't know," the blonde murmured. He'd been referring to the team leader as a devil, since he had no interest in what he should call the guy, so Kazu considered it to be truthful. "I've run into him more than once, but I don't know his name." Kazu paused; it registered that saying 'his' came across as just one guy, and that was only making it sound more like he couldn't defend himself. "He's… he's pretty dangerous."

Another pause. Ikki lifted his chin, eyes looking down his nose and at Kazu.

"How dangerous?"

"Pretty bad," Kazu pushed a smile to his face. Then, as somewhat of a private joke, he added; "But I'm not afraid of death."

What he didn't see coming, however, and Kazu was sure it was totally uncalled for, was Ikki's laughter, accompanied by a good, playful slap to the shoulder. Kazu crinkled his nose and glared but the crow just shook his head.

"What's so damn funny?"

"You," he said bluntly. "You're really smart, ya know? But you say a lot of really stupid things."

"What?" Kazu pressed. Not being afraid of death and dying may have sounded stupid, but it was brave, wasn't it? It wasn't really something Kazu thought would strike Ikki's funny bone, but here he was, smiling smugly at the jet's comment. And sure it was just a comment, a small joke with himself on his part, but he had meant what he said. Wasn't dying without fear honorable?

"Kazu," Ikki said sternly, locking gazes and holding it, for the umpteenth time it would seem. "Not being afraid of death is retarded. That's for people who have nothing to lose."

Kazu blinked. Ikki smiled. Kazu kind of understood.

"_Being_ afraid of death means you _have_ something to live for. Doesn't that sound a lot better than just sitting back and accepting death bravely?"

Kazu huffed. Of course it did. Leave it to Ikki to make, well, _anything _sound better.

"Ikki?"

Something in Ikki's chest coiled and tightened. Was Kazu's voice always so small sounding? So soft and airy? It caught his attention right away.

"So… if we're... scared…" He was speaking horribly slow, probably waiting and hoping to be interrupted so he wouldn't actually have to finish. But Ikki didn't interrupt. "Then it just means… we're afraid of losing something?"

Ikki seemed to catch onto what the blonde was saying. Kazu said it anyway, even while it tried to stay hidden in his throat and somehow, for some reason, Kazu was drawing closer to Ikki like a slow moving magnet and Ikki, in turn, was apparently doing the same. Soon they were mere inches apart and Ikki's eyes had gone half lidded and he was staring at Kazu's lips just as Kazu finally asked in one of the most serious tones Ikki had ever heard swirl around the blonde's tongue.

"Ikki… what are we afraid of losing?"

--

* * *

--

By now there were tissues littering the coffee table and the floor, and all three girls were sitting on the carpet in a triangle, couch shoved out of the way and to the side. Yayoi was thankful that the night wasn't fully dedicated to talking about stupid boys and crushed hearts, but also about what movie to see the following day, where they were going to treat themselves to dinner and how much longer they had to wait for their toenails to dry because it was uncomfortable to keep cotton stuffed between their toes.

Emiri had an equal mix of laughter and tears to share, but also held a handful of guilt every time she laid eyes on Ringo. The experienced rider was dealing with it surprisingly well now, claiming that she at least still had Ikki in her life and later on, _maybe _she'd have a chance, and that the crow would always be her hero, no matter what paths they ended up leading. It was romantic and cute, and it pained Emiri all the more to know that she was going to have to be the one to tell Ringo what she knew – or at least, what she thought she knew – but at the same time, she wished she could be like that. She wished she could accept defeat with a smile. Be grateful for what she had and didn't lose.

Right now, Emiri figured it was okay to hold off on talking to her about Ikki and Kazu, since as far as she knew, Ikki was probably too dumb and too much of a boy to actually _do _anything about it.

Ringo shook her head to flip her hair behind her shoulders and leaned her weight back and onto her hands. She was smiling again, faintly. She felt a heavy weight fall off her shoulders now that she'd told these girls in detail what had happened the night she'd confessed her feelings to Ikki. From her kiss to Ikki's lack of response to the crow rushing out into the rain with other things in mind, to their confrontation in the bedroom. Things like that were hard. Silently dealing with rejection was harder. Telling friends all the details was tough at first but slowly made things easier.

She knew the pang in her chest was far from over, but this was certainly a good start.

"This is nice," she sighed, dipping her hand into the bowl of popcorn Yayoi had set up not too long ago. She'd always known Yayoi and Emiri and she was friends with them; they even hung out at school and as a team, watched the boys make fools of themselves. But she never actually took the time to spend a day with them on such a deeper, more personal level like today. Now she wondered why she hadn't done so sooner.

She found that Yayoi was much more childish than she'd originally thought. Past her stern and responsible attitude, she had a weakness for fun and laughed at stupid things Ringo didn't expect her to. Like throwing up a piece of popcorn to catch it with her mouth and instead, having it land in her eye. Yayoi had laughed first, the loudest and the longest. And Emiri had a whole new aura around her, a whole new sense of purpose and being. The track runner had always let little things bother her, and though that part hadn't changed too much, she handled her emotions with much more maturity than before. She'd grown up a great deal, but somehow Ringo missed it completely.

However, she'd also learned that the worlds that she and Emiri lived in were not very far apart from one another.

Ringo wondered if _she_ had changed any, or if she was still the same girl that Ikki saw himself having no intimate future with. It was a depressing thought to land on when things seemed to be going so well, but Yayoi was prepared for that. That's why there were tissues and toilet paper rolls within reach. She took one and rubbed at her nose a little.

So Ikki didn't feel that way about her. They were still young and there was still time, right? After all, the two of them lived under the same roof, shared the same bathroom and all of that… but still they didn't get any time alone, not really anyway. Not since…

She ceased blowing her nose, holding the tissue against her face and earning confused and worried looks from both Yayoi and Emiri. She eyed the two of them, wondering if they were somehow able to read her thoughts on the matter and that was why their faces seemed to be so apprehensive.

"I'm fine! I was just thinking that… I thought that maybe," she uttered. "But it was stupid and silly so just forget it!"

The girl opened her mouth into a smile and push a laugh out of her chest

"Ringo, you know, we're all here for a reason."

Ringo gave Yayoi a look that screamed thank you, chewed on the inside of her cheek and wriggled her toes to see if they felt ready.

"There are times where I wonder if boys ever sit down and talk like this. Sometimes I don't think they're capable of it," she only half lied. She actually knew Ikki to be quite poetic and wisely reflective at times, and he'd talk about things like his thoughts and dreams and ideas, if you caught him in the right moment. Those moments made Ikki seem invincible. "You know?"

All three of them were quiet. Emiri and Ringo because they both silently wondered if there would ever be a day where the boys they'd fallen for could ever let their stupid boy defenses fall enough to have that kind of talk with _them_. Trust _them _enough to share such vulnerable and private thoughts. Yayoi hushed because Onigiri and herself had already reached such a level, but speaking of it now was the worst idea she could think of.

Didn't help that her boyfriend was a close friend to not just one, but both boys in question. She made a mental note, however, to have a talk with the boy the next time she got the chance.

That struck a twinge of something uncomfortable in Yayoi. In a way she felt as though she was lying and betraying the very people she was seeking to help.

Flicking the cotton balls free from her toes, Yayoi gave them a final blow before standing and walking over to the shelf she'd packed with movies over the years. She shuffled through a couple of them before turning her head to the others.

"Any favorites?"

--

* * *

--

There was no way in hell Kazu was going to be able to sleep in the same room as Ikki after what had happened and what they talked about. Ikki had asked him so many questions and Kazu had given him so very few answers and a lot of formless, fuzzy retorts. He could tell he was frustrating the crow by doing such a thing, but whatever steps or leaps they were taking in whatever direction it was they were facing now, he still couldn't risk telling Ikki about his secret life. Nothing could unconvince him that the idiot would race straight into trouble to put it all to an end.

So Kazu plopped himself down on the couch with his arms folded behind his head, still in his day clothes but too lazy to change. It was too warm in the house for blankets, so he was perfectly content and comfortable when he let his lids droop shut.

He had a lot to sleep on, meaning even in slumber he was distracted. So as he dozed, he didn't sense Sano come out of the kitchen and into the living room with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on a plate balanced on his palm. Sano's feet froze and he stared curiously at the boy sprawled openly on the couch before him. Certainly, an opportunity that would be unwise to pass up.

Sano smirked, licked his lips a little, and took a single bite out of his sandwich before setting it down on the coffee table. How silly of the boy, to make the same mistake twice.

Kneeling down next to the sofa, the older storm rider observed carefully this time. Kazu's lips were slightly parted but he still breathed from his nose, hair falling harmlessly to the armrest when he moved his head an inch, dark lashes twitching in what Sano could only assume to be either a dream or dim awareness.

Sano very lightly gripped at Kazu's elbow and glided it down his arm to his shoulder. The fabric of Kazu's clothes felt wrong against his fingers; it couldn't be anything like the soft skin that lay dormant underneath. That one very inquisitive notion led him to slip his hand into the collar of Kazu's shirt, once again feeling the familiar silk of skin and the jut of a collar bone.

The sensation made Kazu stretch his neck and turn his head further to the side, one arm now thrown up over the side of the couch and the other resting on his stomach. A heavy sleeper tonight, Sano mused mischievously, very gently moving Kazu's hand to the side so he could lift the boy's shirt.

Flawless, Sano would usually say around this time but something was different than before. The smooth skin that was supposed to peek at him from under Kazu's shirt was slightly discolored to the left of the navel – Sano wasn't stupid; the boy had been struck.

Now with new motivation, Sano put both of his hands to Kazu's belly and spread them to the blonde's sides, inching under to his back the best he could. Kazu mumbled in his sleep and writhed his torso a little, giving Sano just enough room to feel a welt or two of some kind on his back before sliding his hands free.

Licking his lips in concentration, mind switching to seriousness, the Iron Clock slid Kazu's shirt up further, as far as it would go, and started rubbing his hands lightly over the blonde's front, attempting to feel for injuries he could not see. It would be very much like the boy to keep quiet about such things.

So far he felt nothing, but his investigation was abruptly halted when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

Ikki…

He realized the crow was there at the very same instant Ikki's eyes landed on him, so he had no time to replace Kazu's shirt over his exposed belly. Ikki stood in the middle of the stairs, clutching at the railing with fierce hands and baring his pearly whites.

A strong and sensational feeling took total control of Ikki's body right then, something too hard to explain. Seeing Sano's hands on Kazu's body in an obviously violating kind of way, up and under his shirt and Kazu being oblivious to all of it, irked the crow beyond recognition.

Ikki assumed that being enraged by it was natural, but this feeling went beyond such simple emotions. He didn't just think Sano shouldn't be touching the blonde, but that he didn't _deserve_ to. And Ikki knew it wasn't just him being overprotective.

He was downright jealous.

And that alone horrified him.

"You just can't keep your hands to yourself, can you!?" Ikki barked from the stairs, not knowing what else _to _say, voice booming and causing Kazu to stir. The master of time fixed his glasses and watched the blonde's eyes flutter open, widen in realization and then gasp. His hands flung to his shirt to tug it down, but a short-lived glance into Sano's eyes told him that the other rider had already discovered his lesions.

Silently, Kazu pleaded with clouded eyes for Sano to keep his silence.

"Hey! You listening to me?" Ikki bellowed, descending the staircase and positioning himself between Sano and the couch. "What the hell are you doing?"

"My apologies," Sano offered half-heartedly, standing up and grabbing his plate. His lips twitched in need to say more but he resisted.

"Jesus," the crow muttered, hoisting a groggy Kazu off the sofa and onto his feet. He roughly shoved the blonde behind him and pointed an accusing finger at Sano, square between the eyes. Sano was a very capable, very competent rider, but Ikki didn't know if he fully trusted the guy – especially after this little stunt. It was like trying to deal with a child sometimes, Ikki swore. "I thought you said you were here to keep an eye on things."

Still Sano bit his tongue, very much in tune with Kazu's anxiousness.

Without offering any explanation, the man who was able to control time… took a bite of his sandwich.

Ikki released a hefty growl and jerked Kazu along by the arm to get him away from Sano's perverted ways before he became too enraged to think clearly. Kazu glanced worriedly over his shoulder as he was pulled up the stairs, looking into Sano's brown depths to try to see just how much the guy saw and knew, but Ikki had dragged him up and out of view too fast for him to get a good look.

Even out of Sano's reach, Ikki didn't slow or stop until they were in his room; a place that was rapidly starting to build up many memories.

Sano, now shrouded in silence, plopped himself down on the sofa and continued eating his snack, not in the least bit annoyed by Ikki's reaction but snickering about it instead.

He didn't even have to look to know that Akito was standing not far off, staring. After he swallowed and lowered the plate to his lap, he turned his head slightly, just enough to see Akito out of the corner of his eye. The tiny boy put a small finger to his lips before speaking.

"Are you jealous?"

Sano smiled softly and shook his head, no.

"Are _you_?"

Akito's feet shuffled timidly and his eyes went downcast in a second.

--

* * *

--

Ikki dwelled on the fact that he was unbearably tired when he dragged Kazu into his room and shut the door behind him. The day's events had worn him down and spread him thin; his eyes were already drooping by the time he was standing next to his bed. The crumpled sheets and indented mattress were calling to him, and Ikki obeyed that call by falling onto the bed, hugging a pillow right away.

Kazu stood off to the side, staring with his arms very loosely crossed and looking lost. Was he supposed to leave the room now? Back to the couch of which he had become accustomed? Should he speak? He didn't know, and Ikki certainly wasn't offering him any answers. At least not until the blonde actually made a move for the door.

"Kazu."

The jet's hand froze and hovered just over the door's handle, one arm still folded over his front and eyes still pointed low. If Ikki was just going to bombard him with more questions, Kazu wasn't sure he wanted to stay. Still, he finally let his hand drop to his side, and he gradually turned to face the bed.

"Turn off the light," the crow mumbled into his comforters, never moving. Kazu flicked the switch and the room went dark. He reached for the door again but Ikki's voice still broke through. "Where do you think you're going? Get over here."

Kazu gulped loud enough that he was sure the other boy heard it. With careful steps he made his way to the bed. He wasn't up for another interrogation or even _talking _at the moment, and currently, facing Ikki wasn't all too appealing. Still he did as he was told, and stopped at the side of the bed, staring down at the crow, unsure what to do now and waiting for his next command.

Ikki's hand rose and patted the space on the bed next to him.

"Hop in."

As if it were that simple. As if it were nothing.

Tugging at his shirt to fan his neck, Kazu crawled onto the bed and sat down next to Ikki's prone form. He sat cross-legged, arms straight and hands clutching at his feet. He hated it when Ikki did this. He felt like he was supposed to be able to read Ikki's thoughts, do what he was supposed to do without having to be told, and he wondered if he was disappointing Ikki any, by not being able to do that.

"The hell are you so tense for?" Ikki muffled, turning his head a little bit so he could better see the blonde. "You look beat. Just relax, man."

"Ikki, don't you think this is just a little…"

"No, I don't," Ikki cut him off, rolling onto his side, tucking an arm under his pillow and closing his eyes. The crow looked simply exhausted. "We've shared a bed before, remember?"

"Well yeah but that was…" the blonde's voice faded off. Ikki's face was already solemn and closed, so Kazu shut his mouth. Ikki always had a way of bringing up points that were hard to argue – it was one of the admirable traits that unreasonably grinded his nerves. The blonde released a defeated sigh and slowly lowered himself onto the bed. He was stiff, unsure, nervous, and couldn't figure out why. After all, Ikki said it himself; They've shared a bed before. But back then he was facing Ikki's feet. Not his face.

Not Ikki.

Swallowing seemed more difficult to do when he was on his side but he managed. Staring directly at Ikki's face was even harder. Closing his eyes didn't do much since he knew he'd be there when they opened. So after much indecision of whether he should sleep on the floor or on the couch downstairs or just suck it up and close his eyes, Kazu flopped onto his other side so his back faced the other rider.

With a little more ease, Kazu let his lids seal and the heavy weight of his fatigue struck him all at once. Sleep was creeping into his system fast – he could feel it and thank god, because he didn't want to think anymore – and it was only a matter of time before he was gone from the conscious world.


	20. Folly and Sin

**A/N: **I'm going to say something that I mentioned to a reviewer in an email, 'coz I feel like you should all know. My other fics in other fandoms get reviews but nothing like the ones I get here from the Air Gear section. Lol I've gotten really attatched to you guys - The AG reviewers are the kindest, most supportive, most flattering reviewers I've ever seen. You leave really long, meaningful reviews while other fandoms consist mainly of "omg update" or "this is great plz update soon plz!!1!!" etc etc... So I really do feel like the reviews you guys give me inspire me to keep going because I feel like it's worth it.

Anyway, if I can manage to stick to my outline, FaS only has like, 6 to 8 more chapters left! Then again, we'll have to see where it goes. I'm tired so I can't think of much to say Just that, you guys have been waiting for Ikki and Kazu to start doing more than passing glances and suggestive situations, and I hope this chapter makes up for waiting so long. Teehee

I think they turned out pretty good so um, if anyone wants to see my Kazu cosplay pictures, lol, just _PM_ me!

OH! And guys! Seriously! I'd love getting to know you so if anyone here has MSN messenger and would like to talk to me, PM me for that too.

**Warnings: **the usual. Grammar stuffs, possible messed up formatting due to ffnet's retardedness blah blahhhh

**Disclaimer: **(sing song) not minnneee!

I love the long and plentiful reviewwwsssss - omg how am I going to do this when I'm already yawning!? (_I'm very sorry if some responses are shorter than others. If a review is small and doesn't say much, there is not much I can give back to you._ I say this because I've actually gotten an angry PM about getting a short response compared to others and I'm like "well you didnt really say... bahh I'm sorryyyy x.x") - but I want you all to know that I appreciate every single review I get.

**Thank You!**

**Cataclysmic Disaster: **Well I have no intention of abandoning this story. I've seen (and sadly have written a few of my own) that just never get finished. But FaS is having such a great turnout that I'm sure it will be seen through to the end. Ah yes the being afraid of death bit! I'm glad you paid attention to that. It's a point I wanted to play with and you'll probably see more of it later on. Thanks for the review, hun!

**Misguided Angel of Death: **lol, as soon as I saw how 'short' your review was I crinkled my nose and said "well thats odd for Misguided...' and went straight to my email to check for a PM and ta da! There's one from you, lol. Unfortunetly my email isn't working right now so I can't look back on it but I remember what you said anyway. And I thank you soooo much for taking the time to PM me the rest of what you wanted to say. That means a lot and says a lot!

**iKat.13: **I'm happy you're still there lol! That's something I get nervous about (people getting bored and moving on) but to have you and so many other stick around this long makes me really happy. LOL I considered having Emiri say something like "legit!? thats something Ikki would say! Not Kazu!" but managed to resist the urge. And I think Sano was in the story in the first place so I could give Ikki something to be jealous over. God, I planned that far ahead - thats kinda sad.

**DL: **Yus fast update. And I'm not sure but I think this one was pretty good as well. (I don't remember...) and hurrah for you loving the story - I've super glad you do! I hope you stick around to the end.

**Tohru Daihikashousha: **Thank you! Me hopes you enjoy the next chapter, love.

**Blizzy: **I'm past calling you Blizzaris if you didn't notice, cuz you are my Blizzy-dear. I CAN. NOT. BELIEVE. you read the whole damn thing over again. I wrote it and I don't even have the patience to read more than two chapters in one sitting. There should be pics from Otakon when I get back, so if you really wanna see, I can just email them to you. Girl bonding is fun to write, but too easy seeing as I am one. I like writing boy interaction more because it's more complex and interesting. You wouldn't believe how long it takes me to read and reply to every single review, lol, and, um, yus, the couch is prolly a no-no from now on for Kazu. We should make fanfics a catagory in bookstores. Let's do it!

**Slifer: **eehee aww you stayed up late for it, how sweet! Even though this story has a lot of unrealistic features and such, I like to keep a sense of realism in the story, at least as far as interactions and emotions go - thank you for seeing it! Rainbows and sunshien, blech, lol. You're right, the aftermath of a first kiss is not always perfect and la-dee-da with little to no confusion. Confused Kazu is really a joy to write, anyway, har har.

**Dobu: **If you were in Twisted Perception's gallery, I hope you were kind enough to leave her comments, she does amazing work. haha I'm glad you decided to 'stoop low enough' to read FaS, and even more glad that you found it was worth the read! I'm the same way sometimes, I'll be unsure if I wanna read something and then.. it just kinda goes from there. You and a friend as Ikki and Kazu!? Please lemme see pictures? XD

**Arrow.Aero.Air: **AHA! I got the name right on the first try this time! I think... yeah, yeah I did. Sweet. ohh _backtingling _huh? I think Sano being perverted is part of why we all love him so gosh darn much, and in this fic because he just adds both drama and humor and a reason for Ikki to flip (we all knew it was coming, we really did). I got you into Air Gear? I can't believe how many people who have never seen or read AG are reading this fic and liking it. It's so hard for me to read a fic about characters I don't know. Thank you!

**ranchan-akari: **lol I really WAS clueless as to how to write it! When that chapter was still a blank page on Word, I literally stared at the white screen and mumbled "ok so... now what?" cuz I've never had to write that kind of situation before. Usually when it comes to that I just picture myself in that scenario and eventually things start to roll on their own once I get going. I haven't been about to dish out many Ikkazu oneshots lately, sorry. I'm out of ideas right now and I have to wait for a new wave of inspiration to crash over me. I'm dying to write one though...

**Masi-no-Ichigo: **lol was it really in one week? I didn't even notice. I don't really space things out, I guess. I just update when its ready. I wish I could have seen your face though! And mumble to yourself, that would be fun to see. I would love to just be a fly on the wall and watch people do these funny reactions I keep hearing about, hehe. I'm soooo eagerly waiting for your next chapter (and yus I need to review the first one, I'm so sorry!!) but seriously, take your time. Rushing a story is bad! It gets harder as you go on, sometimes, but I'll be happy to help you if you ever need it.

**TheaBlackthorn: **I'm right there with you! I wanna see them get hit by karma but we have to wait a little longer!! I can't wait mainly because writing pissed off Ikki is really really fun for me. Is that a bad thing to say? lol.

**KidAngel: **darling I just want to say I saw your newest Ikkazu picture on DA and I LOVE IT TO PIECES SO MUCH I REALLY DO I LOVE ITTTTTT and I'll be commenting soon. I like to hold back on commenting pictures and stories until I'm in the mood. If I'm not in the mood the comment will be short and I want it to be a decent length for you! But I did see it, and I think its amazing. If anyone else is reading this, you should go look, and **leave comments. **I also saw the scene from FaS you drew. I must kidnap you.

**Jen Sweden: **Hurray! I'm actually surprised and a little shocked to see how strongly FaS is still standing, and at how many readers have remained loyal to it. Thank you so much!

**Sagri: **Thank you! Feels are a very difficult but enjoyable thing to play with, and omg you seem to understand that there is sooo much temptation to just write them jumping each others bones and announcing their love for each other in each chapter! Hopefully I won't have to resist for too long. Sorry that one part was confusing. If you need/want explination, it takes placel later after the kiss, and Emiri was more or less running through the events and thoughts in her head and when we jump back to present time she is on her way to Yayoi. I hope that made sense.

**melchan13: **aw omg so cute, hang on no more the next chapter is here!! I updated as fast as possible, as always - hope its worth the wait.

**Jess: **yus, a fic for you. Be sure to read the footnotes at the end of this chapter and do what that says tho, ok? Cuz it'll probably be a while before I have time and inspiration. For some reason I'm really excited and FLATTERED that you'd wanna get inside my head like that. Happy the rooftop scene worked for you, it was cute to write for me.

**Cellophane Rainbows: **Thanks! oh dear, karma better exists, because those baddies really do deserve a piece of it, don't they? All in good time though, hun. Allll in good time. XD

**BlackFlameRose: **I saw your picture! And much like KidAngel I have to wait to comment for when I feel like I can leave on lengthy enough for you. But do not be ashamed, love, I adored it! I feel like if I focus on JUST Ikki and Kazu things would get real dull real fast so I switch it up withtout losing sight that this is an Ikkazu fic in the end. Sorry you can't make the con. There will be pictures though. God your scattered "im going to dinner im back but you dont know i was gone" reviews make me giggle.

**Forgetfull: **Yus just a little bit of info from the guy to keep him, and you guys, satisfied. I live to write and I write to serve. I rather like Ringo when she isn't going emo and crying over things that contradict her strong character. I use a lot of commas too... It just goes to show we're cool like that.

**MisakiTsuki: **Did you give it a try? Writing about something you've never written before? It's actually kind of a fun exercise to do, if you ask me. And gives you more experience as a writer - if you write just what you know, you'll never improve. I'm so happy you liked the chapter, too! Hope the update didn't take to long to wait for.

**Flawless Beauti: **Thank you, the interactions between characters is something I thrive on, but it can be hard sometimes so knowing that you like it makes it worth it in the end. Thank you for the good luck wishes as well! Once I'm done with school maybe I can get more Ikkazu things done! Lets hope!

**Nightshade47: **amused, are we? it didn't matter that you said great that many times, great is a great word to use when you greatly think something is great. I greatly appreciate your review and your reader-ship. ...Great!

**silentrapture: **oh dear god two days? What the hell is wrong with all you people, lmao! How can you read this piece of crap, the whole thing, in such a short amount of time! I'm shocked and impressed and flattered all at once! Thank you for appreciating the build up, and for, god, reading it all like that. I really loved your review, you know, because once you said 'over the top' and it being kinda rightfully so, I smiled really big. lol up the shorts scene, hur hur...

OMG YOU GUYS I NEED A SMALL BREAK x.x

...

Ok humm let's do this.

**Udyjay: **hey there dear, how goes it? You need to stop slapping yourself, lol, FaS isn't worth getting THAT worked up over, is it? heh, but I guess I'm taking it as a compliment in the end, anyway. I'm with you there on Kazu being so cute in everything he does, making you want to stick that boy into a glass box and just watch every little thing that he does. Even in anime and manga, I pay attention to the tiniest details and gestures and every little thing I see means tons to me. So I fangirl really easy.

**nonday: **jealous Ikki is so much FUN! Honestly, I don't like muchy gooy scenes and things like that, at all, in fiction or in real life - in fiction its only ok when theres drama with it too, or the situation just really calls for it - but Ikki and Kazu make it easy to avoid cuz they're both such manly men, lol. I HAD to have them sleep together. Something in my mind was just focing me to make it happen, and Ikki doesn't really seem like the kinda guy to really care what it looks like hes doing and OMG wake up wet, lol!

**GrayFox2k7: **Hi!! I very much enjoy sending and recieving emails from you and I thank you for taking the time to want to contact me personally. And thank you even more so for reviewing and sharing such lovely and complimentary input and comments. As always, your english is well enough that I can easily grasp what you are trying to convey, and I must say, it means the world to me that you would take the time. You brought about so many nice things to say about FaS that I almost don't feel worthy of the review, lol - I hope the wait for this chapter wasn't too long. It should be worth it though.

**bigfatsamantha: **surprise you and wright realistically. That's an odd combination, really, but thank you thats really cool, aha!

**Dubya See: **I was wondering the same thing, really. I was so nervous to post the last chapter since I hate to dissapoint but I'm so happy you enjoyed it! Checking every day? yay! That makes me even happier! Sorry though hunny, I'm not really that into FMA and it is hard for me to read fanfiction about series that don't interest me very much. Nothing personal, love, but I'm sure your fic is wonderful.

**SleepyKat99: **I'm nor sure why, I'm really not, but your review made me laugh a little. Must be the short spurts of almost sentences, lol. No need to worship tho! I love providing fanservice and a decent read for people.

**AnonyMouse: **Thanks for warning me about that typo. When I'm not so lazy... MAYBE one day I'll go fix it. ahem. I know, these review replies are getting insane, don't you think? You wouldn't think by looking that they take long to reply to but I'm playing a CD of mine the third time through already since I started! I still love that you can understand certain aspects of the story, and as always, your reviews are a joy to read since you wax poetics so easily. You flatter me beyond REASON my friend. Actually after reading the part about words fluttering off Kazu's lips, I started pondering what I'd have to do to convince you write a fic, since I feel like you could make amazing work. (waves arms) gooo to Otakooonnn...

**flarrua: **Thank you very much! I do hope you didn't feel like you hate to wait TOO long.

**rei yamata: **I did! The pins were simpley too adorable for words! I squeed, I actually cooed. Don't 'oops' me for forgetting. I forget them sometimes too, lol. I forgot about Buccha COMPLETELY, which is why he's in this chapter.

I hope I didn't leave anyone out! Thanks everyone!

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**Air Gear**

_a fiction by Crimson Vixen_

**Folly and Sin**

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The world was a pleasantly warm and cozy place when Ikki started to crack his eyes open. There were many times where Ikki couldn't bring himself to get back to sleep once he was awake, but today, this morning, was a particularly special case because he was just so heavy and sluggish and restful and _warm_ that moving seemed almost idiotic.

Ikki closed his eyes and hugged his pillow closer. Froze for a moment. Opened his eyes again, wider this time, when his pillow hummed softly.

He could smell the ocean, and he realized his nose was buried in a sea of golden locks, soft to the touch and brushing against his cheek when Kazu's head moved. In his morning daze, it took him to this exact moment to understand that he had been holding Kazu in his sleep and was still holding him now.

One part of his brain told him to recoil, let go, turn the other way, pretend nothing happened and speak nothing of it to the other boy when he woke. But another part of his brain, and admittedly the part that reached him first, told him that Kazu was sleeping and shouldn't be woken by such a gesture. And he was warm, and he was comfy, and for the second time in his life Ikki was brutally reminded on how perfectly Kazu's body fit into his, into his shape, his curve, his arms.

There was nothing weird about it. He just... fit.

It actually confused him on several levels. For another boy to slide into his figure like an overly simplistic puzzle piece and emit such a fulfilling amount of comfort and body heat, nearly baffled him. Deeply curious about this discovery, Ikki listened to that part of his brain that told him to stay put, and he actually slid his arm further around the other boy, pressing his stomach fully to Kazu's back and tucking his chin into the crook of Kazu's neck.

In his experimentation, he was both amused and alarmed with how content it made him feel.

Kazu didn't seem to be aware of what was happening – and even if he was, Ikki decided he would just pretend to sleep and Kazu might just pretend to believe him – since he was too out of it to notice anything. But his hand still found its way to Ikki's before he stilled again, and Ikki, finding a new level of comfort in this new position and with the knowledge that no one _had _to know, easily managed to slip back to sleep.

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Yayoi didn't know if it was irony or just stupid luck, but on the way to the ramen shop, she, Ringo and Emiri ran into Buccha, who offered to share his table with them. Not wanting to be rude and figuring there was no harm, the three of them accepted the invitation.

The girls sat opposite of the very large rider, hair fixed up pretty but not overdone and nails buffed and painted. Buccha took immediate notice of his. He wasn't any expert on girls, but he did know that girls spruced themselves up in groups like that only after they've spent an extended amount of time together, and that usually meant they'd been talking about the things that girls talk about, and _that_ usually meant they were what people called 'boy bashing.' Suddenly, Buccha's comfort level dropped.

Still, feeling the need (especially now) to be a gentleman, he offered to pay for everyone's meal, which the girls reluctantly allowed. Soon the tables were filled with bowls of ramen and it was then that the conversation started rolling, with Ringo's diffident utterance.

"Thank you, Buccha. For the meal."

"Yeah, thanks!" Emiri chirped while slurping up a particularly long noodle. At her side, Yayoi silently nodded at the large boy with equal gratitude before sticking her chop sticks into her bowl.

After she'd had a chance to swallow, Emiri paused, then looked to Buccha.

"Hey, so, you're a pretty honest guy," she said carefully, unable to really resist. "What's the deal with Ikki? Does he ever talk to you about that stuff?"

Buccha only stared for a moment before his eyes crunched in a way that showed he didn't fully understand. Disgruntled, Emiri gave it another go.

"I guess I'm just going to come right out and say it. Do you guys ever talk about girls?"

Ringo choked on her food and pounded her chest with her fist to assist her coughing. While she reached for her drink, Yayoi blinked and stared disbelievingly at Emiri. Since when had the girl started blurting out such bold questions like _that_? Apologetically and intriguingly, Yayoi forced herself to look at Buccha to gather his reaction. Ringo did the same. After all, the question was already thrown out there; might as well soak up the answer.

Nervously, Buccha rubbed a finger at his chin in thought, eyes gazing at the ceiling.

"Come to think of it, there was a period where all he could talk about was Simca," he answered honestly, pointedly avoiding eye contact with the girls in fear of what he was getting himself into. When girls started asking questions like this, it never ended well. Still, as a friend, and an honest friend at that, Buccha remained in his seat and entertained these girls' questions. "But that was a while ago. He hasn't said much about her lately."

Ringo shifted oddly. Just hearing Simca's name sent tingles through her spine and jealousy in her gut. Whether Ikki talked about the swallow or not wasn't the case – what really got to her was that the damn slut's eyes were narrowed in on Ikki and there was no way that damn migratory bird's intentions towards the crow were good ones. Ringo tightened her fists within her lap, only taking comfort in Buccha's declaration of Simca becoming void from Ikki's verbal thoughts. She was sure Emiri could sense her discomfort, or at least considered it afterwards, but still, for some reason the track runner didn't feel the urge to let up.

It was an opportunity and she wasn't going to pass it up.

"Right, and Kazu?"

Buccha hesitated in responding. Disclosing information about his friends felt odd, but then again, it wasn't as though they'd sworn him to secrecy on the matters presented to him. So technically he wouldn't be betraying anyone's trust by providing answers to these girls who apparently _needed _to know. And he wasn't born yesterday – he knew of both Emiri and Ringo's crushes, which was why he feared the worse by the end of the meal.

Since Emiri seemed to be glaring at him with a sharp look in her eyes, Buccha was surprised to find that the tone of his voice was not the one he himself was expecting to dribble out of his mouth.

"Kazu… never really talks about things like that," he supplied, hoping it was as painless of an answer he could give without resorting to lying. And it was true; most of the time, the only things Buccha had ever heard pop out of Kazu's mouth was AT's this, Ikki that, got to get better, yadda yadda...

Emiri didn't seem horribly offended by the answer, but she didn't look to be satisfied with it either. She sat back in her seat, slurped up a few more noodles without saying a word, and Buccha eyed Ringo, then Yayoi, who could only offer a remorseful shrug of the shoulders.

"You know, Emiri," Yayoi eventually piped up after having time to think. "All those boys ever think about is AT. Maybe they feel like they don't have time for girls right now."

Of course all three girls knew that Yayoi was hinting at letting the subject go; they've talked about it all last night and this morning and they could talk about it more later on but right now, pressuring the Storm Rider with questions like that wasn't fair. She didn't think Buccha would add his two cents, however.

"That's a definite possibility," he said, rubbing at his belly, not yet full, but content. "I know Storm Riders that have been riding for way longer than those two that don't talk about AT nearly as much as they do. Especially Ikki."

Ringo blushed a little, trying to hide it by taking another long sip of her drink. Ikki had talked to her briefly about things like this; things like girlfriends and having time for them. What did he say? If it happens, it happens? It wasn't like a girlfriend was totally out of the question for Ikki. She set her cup down when her mouth could hold no more liquid and then she forced it down her throat in one, big, audible gulp.

Boys were hard to read. She knew this much. After all, Ikki had given his jacket to her at one point or another when she was cold and she figured it meant more than just an act of kindness; she'd eventually concluded that giving up their jacket was something that boys did only with girls they liked. That little assumption apparently was a little off, since Ikki made it painfully clear that he could give her his coat, and love her but _not that way_. Another thing about boys that she knew and perhaps had always known was that they hurt you easily, even when they never meant to. Said stupid things, did them too, and rarely considered feelings by being recklessly blunt. He had confided in her on several occasions, a sentiment that made her feel indescribably special and unmatched. But sometimes boys…

They just aren't worth the effort.

Ringo sighed heavily and downed the rest of what was left in her cup.

She supposed she should force herself to be happy, though. For even though Ikki had denied her feelings, he didn't push her away, and he didn't forget she existed. He was still there, still with her, just like things had always been. At any rate, she supposed that was better than losing him altogether. Still, the idea of Ikki landing in anyone else's arms was a terribly hard thing to think about.

As long as it was anyone but Simca, though, she would somehow force herself to survive.

Ringo realized she was losing herself in thought and she was probably starting to raise suspicious by suddenly slinking into such silence. It was hard not to; whenever Ikki crept into her mind, it was hard to focus on anything else. There was just something about that Baby Face crow of his – something that attracted Storm Riders from all around like Simca and even herself, not to mention all the clueless girls at school. Hell, even Ikki's friends felt an unquenchable need to be near the crow at all times.

Even his friends…

Her mind wondered back to Kazu, and how the blonde had unwittingly stripped her of the time she'd have Ikki all to herself, then she shook her head to keep herself from getting mad at the guy. It wasn't like he was trying to steal him away or anything. She almost had to hold her breath to keep herself from laughing. Now she was just being silly.

When she blinked herself back to the real world and found that Emiri was staring at her with a rather peculiar look in her eyes, Ringo smiled at her.

Darn that Ikki for drilling into her head like that in public.

In any case, Ringo figured, even if Ikki and Kazu were spending more time together than Ikki and herself, at least she didn't have to worry about losing to the blonde. Then Ringo really did laugh, raising eyebrows from the people at her table. Even if it was _Kazu_, anyone was better than that damn swallow.

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For the second time that day, though Ikki knew it was much _later_ in the day, possibly late afternoon, he opened his eyes. He found that his arms were still wrapped protectively around Kazu's torso and the blonde, to his surprise, was still sleeping as well.

Ikki had never felt more rested.

But even though he was awake and his legs were itching to move around, Ikki still couldn't help but want to stay put because he knew the second he stood, he was going to be a few fractions colder. The very idea made him hug Kazu closer, then loosen his hold right after.

What was he doing..? What did it mean if he was thinking such thoughts so freely in his mind?

Kazu grumbled something softly and started to squirm. Ikki lifted his arm and hovered it over the blonde, unsure whether to move or not but decided to stay put and watch. When the other boy actually parted his lids and rolled onto his back, their eyes met. Ikki kept the same, content expression and stared lazy-eyed at the blonde while Kazu's widened greatly and the boy nearly jumped out of his skin.

And promptly fell over the edge of the bed with a thud.

"Shit man, that's twice now, I think," Ikki drawled, scooting closer to the side of the mattress to look over it. Kazu was staring up at him with a confused and dazed expression, one arm tucked under the bed and the other flung out to the side.

"Yeah, and both times were your fault," Kazu retorted, pulling himself up to a sitting position and scratching at his temple. He looked up at Ikki, not even bothering to get up. "What were you doing?"

"What do you mean? We fell asleep, remember?"

"Yeah but you were… Forget it," Kazu shrugged, thinking it better to ignore the matter than know the truth. He noted how incredibly warm he felt right then, body in near perfect temperature and enclosed in a sense of fulfillment without any reasonable explanation. He wasn't stupid though. He hadn't minded sharing Ikki's bed, and he was surprised to find the crow so close to him when he rolled over but he couldn't say it was a bad surprise.

If he did, he would just be lying to himself.

And, since he'd had a night to sleep on it and years to let it inadvertently fester inside of him, the idea – as risky as it still was to speak out loud – didn't seem so strange anymore; Liking Ikki a little more than he was supposed to. His heart thudded one giant _whomp!_ against his ribcage as he stiffened his fingers and finally inched his way back onto the bed to sit down on something more cushioned.

Ikki grinned a little; Kazu was actually incredibly fun to watch when the boy was shifting through thoughts in the morning, looking cranky but still innocent at the same time. He didn't even know people could have such expressions on their faces, ever; never took the time to really look. In the time it took him to actually fall asleep the night before, Ikki was able to consider this: there was nothing embarrassing or demeaning about considering _love _as long as it stayed in your head.

And he'd said so himself, to Ringo, if he remembered correctly.

_If it happens, it happens. I don't think love is really something that can be helped_.

At least that was how he'd always assumed it worked. Unexpectedly. Unpredictably. The only thing he hadn't considered at the time was who it'd be with. One look over to Kazu told him wonders – it was amazing to know he was able to just glance at the blonde and pick up on so much of what was running through his head. It was a skill he was starting to pride himself in, since the guy was so damn secretive these days.

"Hey, Kazu," Ikki said calmly. He didn't know why he was so frighteningly relaxed, or why he was lightly smiling and unable to stop, but he didn't try to make up any justification for it. When Kazu didn't respond or at least didn't look directly at him, Ikki tried again. "Hey."

This time, he did look, arms folded over his lap and lips thinning while he swallowed a bit of his own spit.

"Whatever happened, whoever did what… It _happened_."

It was in the past. This was the present. And the future was whatever they chose to make it. Suddenly, Ikki felt like this moment, this day, was going to be one of importance.

Kazu could only nod. He got what Ikki was saying; the fact that it took place meant nothing. What _did _matter was how they chose to decipher and treat it.

"I know it seems sudden, but I don't feel like myself," Ikki continued, deciding _not _to scoot closer because he didn't know what that was implying. "At first I thought that maybe… well, wait. What do _you_ think?"

"I think this is the hardest conversation I've ever had in my life," came the honest reply, a little bitter. But even though it was hard for him, Kazu forced himself to say words that made his tongue thick and hard to move. "It was just a kiss though, right? That doesn't have to, you know, _mean _anything."

The words seemingly came out on their own accord, and whether he agreed with them or not was something that would remain a mystery to him. But Ikki on the other hand, was slightly taken aback by it. Kazu seemed a lot more defensive about the entire thing, which was understandable, sure, but still irksome.

"I guess, but…"

"What?"

"But how do we know for sure? It's like you said; it was just a kiss," the crow pressed dangerously, very much aware of how thin the wire was that he was walking on, and very _un_aware of how he'd gotten there, because he was still curious and unsure and had to know so why the hell _not_?

Kazu's small chest heaved.

No way, there was just no way that Ikki of all people – cocky, manly, stubborn, too cool for you Minami Itsuki could… But then…

"Ah, Ikki… What are you…"

But Ikki wasn't paying attention anymore. His eyes were wide and focused; _entranced_ as he reached out, and at first he figured it was wrong, that it wasn't supposed to feel right. They were young, they were rebellious, and if there was a line they weren't supposed to cross, Ikki was tempted enough and rebellious enough to want to cross it. Ikki didn't know why, but that creamy skin was calling to him, begging him to touch and feel all over _just to make sure _if it was something he wanted or not, so he _did _make contact, with a trembling hand, and when he ran his fingertips over Kazu's cheek, it was so soft. Kazu flinched at the contact but didn't pull away. Probably too shocked to move at all.

There was an eruption of something in his chest; the crow spared a quick glance to the door. They were alone for now but who knew for how long. So he worked fast, even though it was his first time – like this, with another boy, with him, _Kazu_ – doing something like this, somehow it didn't slow him down. He didn't have a reason he could call valid. But since when did he ever need reason to do anything?

Ever so carefully, Ikki placed his hands on Kazu's shoulders and slid them down the boy's arms before skipping to his waist, where after a short pause, he snuck his hands under the fabric and touched the skin of Kazu's belly. While he lost himself in the sensation of touch, he kept his eyes glued to Kazu's, who was looking at him with immensely blue orbs of stupefaction, and Ikki pressed a little harder, moved up a little further, all while never breaking eye contact. It almost felt as if Kazu was trying to keep him from looking anywhere else. He could feel Kazu continuously tremor under his touch but showed no resistance when Ikki moved to lower him onto the bed.

The blonde's breaths were quivering and so were Ikki's, yet still he very slowly slid his hands up Kazu's sweatshirt and to his surprise, Kazu didn't ask him to stop. He hardly said anything at all, just set his jaw and sucked air in through the spaces between his teeth. Hitched when Ikki scratched his hands down his sides a little too hard, shuddered when fingers ghosted over his collar bone, moaned when teeth nibbled at his neck.

When did Ikki get close enough to do that?

He closed his eyes and sighed. How did it ever come to this? Why was Ikki moving and touching him like that? Why wasn't he saying anything about it? This was all going so fast. They had yet to come up with the answers they've been looking for and already they were at a level that Kazu never even fathomed to be possible between Ikki and someone like him.

Kazu tried to block the questions from his mind as Ikki raked his fingers through his golden hair. He'd always known Ikki to be a little possessive, a little bit aggressive, thought it was selfish and childish, but _this_ was something different.

Ikki finally released a growl and rolled off the bed to stand. It took only seconds for him to drag Kazu along with him and throw him to the wall. Kazu yelped when he hit, his back rubbing raw against the wall.

"Let's figure this out right here, Kazu," Ikki said, voice only a whisper and noses so close to touching. Kazu stared cross-eyed to meet Ikki's eyes since they were such a small distance apart. "Right here, right now. What do you say?"

"Ikki…" Kazu breathed, head turning to the right and sucking in a breath because he needed to think and yet didn't need to think at all. A hand took his chin and turned his head back to where it was, and Kazu's mouth was only capable of making the same sound over and over again. "_Ikki_…"

"Don't get me wrong, man," Ikki mumbled. Kazu could see Ikki's entire body shaking like mad, like he was cold and shivering in that heated room. "I have no fucking clue what the hell I'm doing."

"Ikki," Kazu said again, a little more desperate, getting irritated with himself for being so damn repetitive with it. He took a bite of his tongue and tried a second time. "I want…"

What did he want? Kazu came to an answer ridiculously fast. He wanted just what he'd always wanted.

"I want whatever you want."

And for a moment they were stuck in gravity, taking slow and almost shallow breathes before Ikki spared the door one more glance and decided that _this was it_. This was the moment he'd find out what he wanted from Kazu and how much, if at all. Even though they were both still clothed, when his stomach kissed Kazu's through the fabric, the crow loved it; he loved the feeling of something solid and real and receptive against him.

This time when Kazu spoke his name, Ikki didn't respond, just grunted a little; too busy, too busy. This whole thing was a new experience with new sensations – too many at once – and he needed to explore better, faster, because _still _he was curious and no one was telling him to stop.

He was enthralled and excited with the way the blonde allowed himself to be poked and prodded as he was. More so now than ever, Kazu's scent was radiating off of him and seeping into Ikki's nostrils so the smell was strong and dare he say, intoxicating.

He could feel it; Kazu was pressing his back harder against the wall. Trying to get away or trying to find balance and support, who knew. Ikki continued to pause before every new move he made, waiting to see if Kazu would indeed speak up or push him away. For a short moment the only sound between them after that was the sound of their unsteady breathing, mostly ragged with slight ambiguity. Kazu continued to rest against the wall in the very exact spot in which Ikki had tossed him, and Ikki remained in his place as well, arms outstretched and on the wall on either side of the blonde. He looked left, then right, then straight into Kazu's soft face, unable to verbally ask if he should continue but trying to convey it all the same.

He was almost taken aback when Kazu nodded.

He didn't know what he was doing, he really didn't. But he couldn't stop himself. Before he could think twice about it, Ikki steered his lips to Kazu's neck, hovered for an agonizing few – _shit, should I actually do it _– seconds before making contact. He kissed once, froze, then twice, then lingered and suckled for a moment when he discovered Kazu had a taste – something akin to vanilla – pulling away sharply when Kazu's throat gurgled with a foreign sound.

Ikki pulled back and they stared at each other, silently trying to gauge if it was good thing or bad. Kazu didn't seem like he knew where the sound came from, but Ikki strangely wanted to hear more of it.

It took Kazu a minute or two to understand that his own hands were now shakily snaked up and around Ikki's neck. In response to that, Ikki put his hands around the blonde's waist and locked his hands at the base of Kazu's back. How they'd both decided it was a good idea, he didn't know, but their foreheads touched and Ikki was cradling him in a way that made him feel safe and special.

_Wanted_.

Right now, he was worth something. Right now, Ikki saw him and only him and nothing else in the world mattered. That kind of importance, the kind he'd always wondered what it would be like to achieve, felt unreal. He didn't dare question it in fear of the answer. The blonde was ok with living in a dream, if that was indeed where he was. Maybe later on he would look back on this and could tell the story of how he was young and stupid and got caught up in the moment with his best friend and did some things he couldn't take back or forget, but right here… _Right now_…He broke out of his daze when the light from behind his lids started to burn so bright that it was starting to make him feel hot.

Ikki had always liked danger, but this was new. The crow's lips were on him again, slow and teasing and careful as they migrated from his jugular to his jaw to the lobe of his ear. He breathed lightly into the cavern, sending a massive chill through the jet's system and Kazu threw his head back. It banged loudly against the wall and he attempted to strangle the scream that tried to escape because he'd never felt this kind of pleasure before. His hands clutched desperately at the back of Ikki's shirt as Ikki roamed his jaw line with his mouth like he was already a pro.

He continued kissing. Liked how it felt and couldn't stop. Never knew something so simple could be so addicting.

Kazu whined with his next exhale of breath and when Ikki finally did pull away, he was flushed. Slowly, carefully, he let the blonde go. They hadn't gone beyond mere contact and kissing and already they were worked up. Hot and bothered.

They took a moment to catch their breaths, staring at each other in silent confirmation, to make sure that what they just did was real. Or if it meant anything or if they could just classify it as young curiosity. If in the end it wasn't the right thing, they could pretend it never happened at all.

But that didn't seem very plausible. If it felt wrong, they would have stopped right away.

…Right?

The crow opened his mouth, fingers twitching like he wanted to reach out to the other boy, but before he could voice his thoughts, there was a shift at the other side of the door that made the youthful riders whipped their heads towards that direction. Both stood perfectly still and waited for the shadow on the other side to pass by.

Kazu let out a tremendous sigh just as Ikki was goaded to brush his fingers through his hair. Ikki knew people would preach to him that folly like this wasn't supposed to feel right. What he did was a sin. But Ikki was never one to let other people tell him what he should do in the name of right and wrong. But if what he did was indeed that of an evil nature, then _damn_, sinning never felt so _good_ before.

"I think I… I don't care what the world thinks," Ikki spoke suddenly, mostly to himself and only partly for Kazu, yet as if he was deciding it for the both of them. Kazu had yet to peel himself from the wall, so Ikki closed in on him as he had done so before. "They're all under me, anyway. Under us."

Because it was officially decided for him then. Kazu had somehow wormed into his way into Ikki's life so far that he _meant _something more to the crow past what he'd originally planned. But things like touching and kissing and pinning your best friend to your bedroom wall made it hard to go back to the way things were.

"What are you saying," the blonde mentioned sloppily, arms crossing over his stomach and hugging himself loosely, shoulder rising. "Does this mean we're, uh…"

Even now words like that were hard to put into a full sentence. The very notion that if he was _together _with someone, it was going to be with a boy, and not just any boy but Ikki. And _that _meant he was a certain three letter word but then again, it would mean the same for Ikki as well. Yet Ikki didn't seem bothered by such a notion, even if Kazu himself was wary of it. After all, what a thrilling and bone-chilling thought. Even though he couldn't speak right, Ikki already knew what he was asking, mainly because his mind was buzzing with similar things. The crow nodded, closed the distance between them with a bit more confidence than before, hovering his lips just over Kazu's and staring into his eyes.

As if he was frightened to ruin anything he'd just created, instead of brushing lips, he pulled Kazu into a hug – a gesture that spoke volumes his voice could never. 'This feels unreal,' it told him. 'This feels like trouble but I kind of like it.'

Most importantly – Ikki smiled a big smile, thankful Kazu couldn't see it – this was the first but huge step in rekindling what he and Kazu had started to lose. And, as far as Ikki was concerned, perhaps gain a little something more.

The rest of the world could bend over backwards and screw itself.

"Let's go get some breakfast, err… lunch," Ikki burbled, gently squeezing Kazu's hand and pulling him to the door, dropping it only when he had to reach for the knob.

And as they accepted the fresh breeze of the hallway, it felt like a new world entirely. One that didn't know anything yet and so Kazu stuck close to the other boy. Ikki hadn't done much to him, a graze here, and peck there, but it had done a lot _for _him. The boy's touches still felt like they were lingering on him, and he could smell Ikki's scent even as he descended the stairs and was led into the kitchen. Carried it with him.

Distracted with newly bubbling thoughts of him and Ikki and what they were doing, what it really meant, where it was going and how they were going to get there in the world they lived in, Kazu only half paid attention when he opened the fridge. It used to be his thoughts would rotate around Ikki but now for some reason, though it was not something he really resented, those thoughts were going from _him _and _he_ to _us _and _we._

He _had _to stick close to Ikki now, since the crow seemed to be taking this a lot better than himself, with a lot more stride and confidence. Any lesser boy would crumble under the pressure of his sexuality. Maybe it hadn't really sunk in that spiky head of his yet. Sometimes Kazu wished he could get inside Ikki's head so he could view the crow's thoughts and not have to struggle with riddles and contradictions and words that were hard to read into. Ikki had a way of making things so clear that it confused him even more. He didn't know anyone else that could do that.

While Ikki started to rummage through the fridge, Kazu eventually noticed he was missing his hat, concluding that it must have been why he was feeling so naked and out of place. He patted his head to confirm it was bare, and looked to Ikki when he turned around. Ikki laughed a little.

"You hang here, I'll get it."

Slightly embarassed, Kazu blushed and nodded, settling in a chair and waiting for Ikki since looking for food in Ikki's house without Ikki felt strange today. He folded his hands in his lap and slouched. Today seemed to be going a lot smoother than it should, or maybe he was just expecting too much to happen. Things were never as dramatic as they portrayed on television. Ikki was acting like what they'd just done and discovered was as natural as breathing and maybe it was but Kazu knew that if it wasn't for Ikki, if he was dealing with swirling feelings like this on his own, he'd have lost it a long time ago. But no. Instead of freaking out or going into denial, Ikki wanted to get lunch together.

Which sounded really nice.

"Hey you," came a confident tone that was all too familiar but also one he didn't particularly like. Kazu froze, and forced himself to stand up and turn around. Over the past few months, Kazu had been thinking of trying something new when it came to confrontations like this and that was to never let anyone see him sweat. He cleared his face of any give-away emotions and faced the shorter boy.

"Agito," he nodded, mono-tone. How he hated when the patch was on that side. "Did you need something?"

"I don't know how stupid you think I am," he said. "I'm not going to beat around the bush with you. What are you and the crow, if you had to label it?"

Ah, Kazu inwardly sneered. Just as rude and to the point as always. He didn't know he was going to have to face problems like these so soon, and in this very house! How could Agito know, anyway? It wasn't until this morning that anything had happened, unless they'd been obvious from the start and... well that would be embarassing. Then again, Akito was sure to be making comments about Ikki pushing the shark away and giving _him_ attention instead because he was running around so much.

"What's it to you?" Kazu bit back automatically, still trying to mask his voice with indifference. Of course, Agito was a perceptive little runt, and probably wouldn't come out to confront him like this unless he already had something to say.

"Nothing. I don't really care too much for what he does or who he's with. However," he paused momentarily to meet Kazu's eyes carefully. "Akito does."

Oh damn. Well this… this was awkward.

"Huh…" he shrugged, perhaps a little too quickly. Everyone and their grandmother knew about Akito's attachment to Ikki. Hell he didn't exactly take any precautions hiding it. The blonde supposed he hadn't even considered Akito's feelings when Ikki put him to the wall and started to... well, he hadn't even remembered Akito or anyone else existed at the time.

"I can't understand what he sees in you but Akito gets upset about the attention you get and he doesn't, and I don't like when he gets like that. It's fucking annoying."

Kazu resisted the urge to agree to some level. He didn't hate the guy, but Kazu didn't exactly get along with their team's shortest rider – at least not when he was like this. He could stand Akito's obnoxious behavior when he was happy in small doses but he couldn't imagine what the kid was like when he was whiney. He almost sympathized with Agito. Almost.

"Man, look," Kazu held up his hands defensively. "I'm not trying to mess around with anyone's feelings and I'm definitely not trying to piss anyone off."

Agito just stood there with that everlasting angry glare, arms crossed and looking ready to kill. Kazu's exterior fell flat when he lowered his brows.

"Don't tell me you think it's all my fault," the blonde sparked, falling into some sort of stance. "You're angry with me because Ikki thinks I'm… Because we…"

He stopped. Just how much did Agito know, anyway? And _how?_

It was then he realized it really was hard to find the right words to describe them. Him and Ikki. Or maybe it wasn't so much finding the right words – 'Me and Ikki are trying to sort some things out.' 'We're trying to see if the shit we just pulled is going to take us somewhere.' 'Your leader and me are trying to cope over lunch with the fact that we might be gay.' 'Ikki might be my boyfriend, but I'm not sure' – as it was saying them to outsiders. Agito, of all people. Because he and Ikki really hadn't labeled themselves just yet, only knew that it was going to be different than what it once was. Again Kazu was sure if it was with anyone else, he wouldn't be so calm about it.

"I told you, I don't care. I'm here on behalf of Akito."

"So what do you want me to do?" Kazu growled. "Seriously, I'm not trying to upset him. I'm not, but…"

Unable to decide where he was going with his words, he let his voice die out. Then, after a moment…

"You want me to back off?"

Agito lulled his head to the side. How fucking irritating, to think that the idiotic crow would allow the company of this whiney little beanpole over the company of Akito. And how _embarrassing _for the leader of Kogarasumaru to let himself fall into such a low place. The shark licked at his fangs and rested a majority of his weight to his left foot.

"It would make Akito stop whining."

Kazu didn't say anything. He had already lost his poker face somewhere in this confrontation and it wasn't even worth saving since Agito obvious knew more than he should have. The blonde felt stupid for not expecting him _to_ know.

Still, now that this had been brought into light, Kazu was starting to feel less and less contented with the concept of being in the same room as Ikki, because now he was going to be wondering how Akito was feeling and Agito was dealing. Shit.

"I gotta go," Kazu said briskly, and brushed past the smaller rider with a speedy gait. Agito turned and watched the boy make a grab for his AT's and rush out the front door _just_ as Ikki trotted back into the kitchen, white knit cap in his hands. The shark scoffed; Akito had _better _fucking appreciate this.

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**A/N: **boo footnotes!

I've yet to review the Ikkazu fics on ffnet, but I will. Also, I know there are about... 3 or 4 or you that wanted challange fics from me, or I mentioned in passing that I could/would do one for you. Well school is hectic so I'm losing track of who asked me to do what. So if you guys could mention it in a review or PM me about it, it would make it a lot easier on me. Thanks.

And umm, anything you guys would like to see in FaS? I can't promise I'll use ideas given to me but I'll certainly consider them.

...Ooops, I missed class.


	21. Us

**A/N: **I am so... unbelievably tired. Past few weeks I've been totally out of it, lol. And working at my new summer job is also wearing me thin. But hark! I come to you with an update!

eeeee, and its long time no update, I know. Skipping over excuses againnnnn brings us to this kinda important note so...

**_please read this:_ **Come August, I'll be leaving the state for about 5 or 6 months. During that time I have no clue how much time I'm going to have to work on FaS. I may still have time, and I hope I do, but as of right now, I have NO idea how much free time I'm going to have for it. (Don't know what my schedule is looking like yet). I just want to give you all a heads up on that, but have no fear. FaS WILL be seen through to the very end. But at least until early January, things may get slow. I can only hope that you will all stick around.

As long as I made you wait, I hate to say that a good chunk of this chapter is filler. At least right up until the end. But come next chapter, things are pretty serious and should stay pretty focused until the very end. At the very least, I hope it still entertains you.

**Warning: **OMG I know you're sick of hearing it but this chapter isssssss oh dear lord it gave me so much trouble and I'm pratically wincing at the thought of hitting the submit button and posting this thing.

So as a warning, I'm sorry if there is OOC but mainly if things are moving too fast between Ikki and Kazu. I'm terrified that they're making too big of leaps in this chapter, specially since you guys have been commenting about the nice pace of FaS, but really, it's high time this story started getting things done and in order to do that, this chapter had to turn out like it did.

I mean.. unless you want 5 or 6 more chapters fo Ikki and Kazu just... wising up and nothing else.

Also the same warnings about spelling and grammar and format due to ffnet being difficult.

**EDIT: **I almost forgot! If you have the time you guys, please please you should go read my friend **Masi-no-Ichigo**'s fic, _Eye of the Storm_! It's a wonderful fic and her stats tell her that people are reading and faving and watching it so it would be nice if you guys would take the time to please _drop her some reviews_, ok? She deserves them and the fic is well worth the read!

omg over 40 reviews this time around... (Tied with chapter 14 for the highest number of reviews for a chapter. Hurrah!) This'll take a while, I'm sure XD

**Thank You...**

**KidAngel: **But I really do LOVE your art. It's all so good and yussss I think I still have reviews to leave you, don't I? I hate to say that I don't remember. Mmm and yus I totally wouldn't mind kidnapping you. I still hope to see more from you soon in the future, cuz I always smile when I see things from you! Sooo yeah, I'll be sure to stop by your page later to check and see if I owe you a review, and I'm sorry for slacking.

**MindFuel: **I'm so glad you seem so excited about FaS' updates. Even more glad that the actual updates make you that happy, lol. omg a BL meter. I totally want one of those (I think I used to have one but it shattered a while back when it surpassed maximum level) Oh, and, you're totally welcome.

**november.eyes: **Thank you! Yes, the number of reviews jumps around a lot but the last chapter had the second highest count, I believe. You and everyone else seemed to love that scene, which I must say, makes me a rather happy writer. LOL and you are also not the first to mention a scene being "hot" without an actual "sex" or "real kissing" being present. That right there makes me feel so awesome, so thank you! Obsessing is good for the soul! Feed it!

**Flawless Beauti: **I'm torn between those two emotions nearly every time I write this crap, heh. I guess it's about time something like that happened between those two, but you know how things work. Good things never last and for Kazu, bad luck is as natural as breathing some times. But he'll get his break sooner or later (the epilogue, prolly, lol). Thank you for all the kind words, love.

**firedraygon: **Well Akito/Agito seem to have that kind of relationship, where one personality takes care of the other (lol tho really, I think that is kinda the point of having MPD) Akito, in my eyes, would be far too wrecked inside to confront Ikki and I think Agitio would be a tad aggrivated, even though he really does care for the little guy. Hopefully more action to come soon! Not so much this chapter tho, sorry.

**Versus: **Don't worry about not having time to review this or that. You are a regular reviewer and I'm sure that if you caught the last chapter in time, you would have. That alone is enough to make me happy so thank you! Yeah the title is finally in the story, and me naming the chapter as such was sorta uncreative on my part but yay for making you squee! That's totally my job. I'm glad you like the slow progression but please accept my apologies for the jump in this chapter.

**Forgetfull: **aww thank you sweety. Responding to reviews is starting to take up so much time tho. Like, way longer than it should really, but I really want my readers to know that I'm paying attention to them and what they have to say, and that I appreciate them for their time and attention. I forget if you were one of the few to email or message me about the Kazu cosplay. Let me know, ok? Long live commas.

**BlackFlameRose: **mwah, I always love your reviews. KidAngel is another reviewer/reader of FaS, you should check them out. did I give you my MSN account or no? (Sorry, I'm TOTALLY starting to lose track of who has asked me for what and who I've gotten back to!) Lol, I've always called it boy bashing when girls get together to just.. talk about boys. And I like Buccha - he seems like a good guy, and honest. OMG and at the start of FaS I totally considered Kuu (Ikki's crow) but in the end decided it would make some parts of FaS difficult to write.

**FallenAngelKiya: **lol wow thank you for the enthusiasm. It really does make me smile! The best one, you say, well thats just awesome! As hard as Ikki can be to write at times he makes it easy to let certain things happen since he very easily flows along with things that are happening, you know what I mean? Akito/Agito to me is the type of person that can make or break your mood, depending on what he's doing.

**Misguided Angel of Death: **eee the speedy updates make you happy and here I am coming to you with a slow update! Now I feel bad, lol. I didn't go to the con as Kazu yet (thats in August) but there are pictures of the cosplay, and surely there will be more after the con (with an Ikki, I'm hoping. If I can defeat her camera shy-ness) LOL interactions, yusss, it really IS about time, even from the writers pov.

**ranchan-akari: **(helps you fan) I just LOVE writing stuff like that. I love it even more when I see so much positive reactions to it! I'm happy to have made it to your liking, and also sorry that it had to get ruined, eheh. Aw, I don't think Kazu is weaker, he's just less confrontational, ne? hehe you reread my fics? That's so sweet, thank you!

**Seiji-kun Chiaki-kun Eiji-kun: **hmm yus I see how that would take away fic reading time, but at least unlike me you have your priorities straight! Still I feel good that you still find the time to come around here, read and review and all that. So thanks for that, first of all. Secondly, I love how they act too. It's very buddy buddy and attentive, like they really do have their own world, you know? I hope you keep coming around to read!

**rei yamata: **Yay pins! I have trouble with Ringo's pigtails sometimes when I'm drawing in just pencil and paper. Oh hunny, I'd be more than happy to buy some from you. Cheap.. I can afford cheap, lol, and besides you took the time and effort to make them so I'd love to encourage you by buying! Get back to me about it, ok? (I'm slow with address stuff but I get it done) And, you too, with MSN, message me or something, cuz I lose track of people lol. (If you still want it)

**TheaBlackthorn: **lol well to be honest I think Kazu's been rather confuse for a lot longer than he thinks. Try not too worry too much about Ikki coming down to a Kazu-less kitchen. With all of Kazu's running off, this one may have a bit of a different result. Maybe. Thank you for the review!

**Masi-chan: **yup, lol there are still a few chapters to go still. Juicy chapter, ta boot! oh ho I'm so shocked that your mother hasn't caught on to you yet. Printing stuff off is what I used to do in high school. In college now I just skip class to read lol. I'm so happy you think so highly of the last chapters opening, and ("o ho ho"s along with you about Ringo) her reaction will be something really hard for me to write, I think. Kazu feeling 'wanted' makes us all squee a little, dont'cha think? and NO! It's NOT bad thing to think/feel that when Kazu says Ikki's name, cuz I feel the same way!

**melchan13: **I don't only rule the world's socks, I own them! And clean them.. and fold them... and put them away... and then I wash them when they get dirty again.. But really, thank you so freaking much for thinking so highly of FaS and I only hope that this chapter doesn't make you TOO upset at its fast pace. (hides)

**Chubby-King-Chocobo: **hot stuff, hm? lol thanks, darling, I try. XD I love touching on sensations and things like that so I love that you mentioned it in your review. I was smirking I think, when I wrote about the world screwing itself, and was actually hoping someone would say something about it, lol. Thank you!

**Carapheonix: **Well! thank you for the review and I'm glad you took the time for suggestions. I don't think I'll be bringing Spitfire into the story and I was pretty much done with Sano gropings, but if I can squeeze it in anywhere, I'll give it a try (no promises, tho). I hope you keep reading!

**Jess: **Okiessss, yus I remember your fic now, or rather the one I'm meant to write, lol. It won't get worked on for a while to come but I will get to it when the inspiration hits me. I'm sorry you'll have to wait, too, but know that I know! lol everyone wants Ikki to catch Kazu (me too!). Oh and I can't help it, I just love cliffhangers. Well, I get whiney when I read them, but I like to write them.

**Arrow.Aero.Air: **Dude, totally, I totally missed class cuz of it, lol XD but it was totally worth it. Oh dear lord you didn't actually do that, did you? Sit down and read the whole thing? Cuz it's my story and I can't even read two or three chapters in one sitting (specially the first few chapters. those are just terrible). OMG FaS is your happy place! That's too awesome! hoho, I'm totally cool with number 2!

**Slifer: **It's sad I know, FaS has to end SOME time. Alright, another squeeler, that means I'm doing something write. Tho I'm expecting torches and pitchforks by the end of this chapter simply by jumping so fast (can't let it go . ). I always planned on have their interaction be experimentle, cuz its a first time for them, and if they knew what they were doing it wouldnt feel very accurate. Thank you!

**Karanari: **Don't worry. I remember your name. You are so kind to explain to me your absense and of course for actually taking the time to review FaS. I can't believe you read all those chapters at once tho, haha. Juggling plot lines is actually hard for me to do, so thank you so much! And I hope this chapers pace doesn't bother you. "You are also amazing at describing emotion. Like, I could feel it." Thank you so much for that comment right there!

**DL: **I agreeeeee, Kazu is a silly boy, with silly thoughts and he does silly things. Silly... Thank you for the review!

**ShareTheLove: **You are so kind, thank you! I'm sooo happy to have created another Ikkazu shipper - you picked a great couple to love! I don't plan on stopping my fics any time soon! This is my third ffnet account but I've been writing fanfics for about 9 years or so (don't get me wrong. My earlier fics are TERRIBLE, lol!)

**GrayFox2k7: **Are you alright, hun? You dissapeared off the face of the planet (you never log on MSN anymore!). Anyway, as per usual, thank you so much for the extended review! You always have so many nice and in depth things to say. And you keep talking about how parts of FaS relate to YOUR personal feelings and that makes me feel like I'm doing this right... Again you leave me feeling just wonderful with your review and I thank you again for reading and commenting. I hope I get to catch you online again soon - I miss talking to you!

**Nightshade47: **Another squeel! Alright! SO glad the last chapter made you happy. Lol thats why I write! Greatity is not a word BUT I know what you meant! Haha! You seem to have been greatly amused and I only hope that you keep reading FaS to the end!

**Sagri: **Developing feelings is such a pain sometimes, you know? Heh it drains me. You're right, Ikki and Kazu have taken some major steps in their relationship, and as I've been saying to other reviewers and in the A/N at the top, I'm sorry if this chapter dissapoints by things between them moving too fast. But we must move on with the story! No need to thank me for replies, hun. If I didn't want to do it, I wouldn't. Dunno if you saw the cosplay pics. If not, just PM me, k?

**Udyjay: **lol your reviews are always so scattered and jittery and excited that I can't help but smile. First of all let me thank you for not only reviewing my fic but for leaving Kitten comments on some of her work as well. I stare at manga pictures too, so don't feel too out of place. I stare for.. long periods of time. I love it when reviewers take the time to comment on each section of a chapter, so thank you so much for your 'review along the way' comments - they really keep me focused on how people react to certain things. Glad you enjoyed!

**Jen Sweden: **thank you I dunno if the end of the last chapter was really a spin, lol XDDD more like just a thing that happened that pissed people off. Yay? I'm sorry the wait for this chapter was so much longer than expected (it gave me troubleeee).

**MisakiTsuki: **It wouldn't be the first time a fic has somehow made me miss something that (should be considered) more important. Aw you directed people at FaS? That means so much to me, thank you! AND you took my advice!! Holy crap are you amazing! And your comments were just lovely! I realy hope to see a review from you again! XD

**Ikichi: **Don't worry, I recognize your name, too! Glad to see you again XD Oh and that you enjoyed whatever grouping of chapters you read (I still dunno how people are finding the will to read FaS in bundles like that. Mebbe as the writer I'm just "huh?") heh, and sorry love, I can only make FaS so long before it has to end at some point. oh ho, addictive? Thank you, hun!

**nonday: **Good. Optimistic and warm is good. It's in a small way what I was going for with that small opening scene. Awesome that you felt it. Naw you're pretty much right about the girls being filler. They are not really important to the plot (save for Emily knocking sense into Ikki) but I didn't want to just toss them aside and ignore that their feelings existed. SO happy Ikki and Kazu's exploration was to your liking and OMG AnonyMouse should totally write, am I right!? (you read other review replies? Props, my friend. Mad props).

**Tohru Daihikashousha: **Nu, I haven't played that game, though I've been meaning to. Yup! They are together.. ish. Sorta. Well this chapter makes it a bit more clear.. Sorta. lol, you'll see. Yes, totally send me a picture when you have it, ok? I would LOVE to see it! Oh geez you mentioning classes makes me realize just how long its been since I've updated! Yay for classes finally being over but shame on me for being a bad author!

**AnonyMouse: **Hi dear, how are you? I still really think you should try to write something, I think it would be way beyond amazing. And oh! As always, so many amazing, beautiful things to say and I hardly feel worthy of your kind words, still! You make me feel so amazing about my writings, my style, my everything and that says a lot since I'm always so down on myself and my work. I also love how well you pick up on things. Comments like yours make me feel so special. Thank you so much, darling! I look forward to hearing from you again! (But really, no pressure XD)

**iKat.13: **Oh gosh don't slap yourself! or.. well... (tbh I do that to calm myself down sometimes, heh. Hard.) huh! lol yeah I guess Buccha was really put on the spot there for a bit. I wanted to bring him back in the fic for a bit, since he hasn't gotten much screentime. Ugh, wall pinning is just love, isn't it? Oh I'm so glad you liked that line as much as I did writing it.

**Madde-chan: **If I am correct I think you were review number 400! How exciting! Thank you for the compliments! It makes me feel so good to hear that you're willing to stick this story out to the very end! That takes a lot of devotion I think! (This fic is over a year old, if I remember right!) so yeahhh Thanks!

Ok guys I've been at this for about an hour and a half (hard to believe I know. But I'm also functioning terribly slow right now.)

...And I'm back!

**Dhew: **No need to apologize, love. Oh ho keep up comments like that and I just might start to think highly of myself! What a dangerous concept! Aww the "right" way, you say - well thank you so flippin' much for that. I feel so awesome when people say my work is different, in a good way, and yes they are MEANT TO BE! XD Hah, you say make out like its so shocking, lol, but I'm happy you enjoyed it! And! You are apologizing for your english? And.. I didn't even read a single thing in your review that made me question your ability to write english! And you also wrote a long review, so you are automatically made of win, lol. Thanks!

**gaisensei: **Well I certainly am fond of your honesty. When I first started reading your review I may have cringed cuz I didn't know if it was going to be good or bad, but I'm happy with what you said. FaS is different, and you are able to look passed your preferences and dislikes and see some good in FaS that you make note on. Thank you SO much for your honesty. And in my personal opinion, Air Gear fans, or maybe just IkkiKazu fans (I don't know) are some of the nicest, sweetest people I've ever come across on the internet. They make writing AG worth while.

**Endy: **Endy-baby! So happy to have you back! (snuggle) Do not worry about a review being longer or shorter than you wanted. You talk to me quite a bit on MSN about what you think/thought and I ALWAYS enjoy it. I really missed reviews from you. I just wish you were online MOAR. I like that you take the time to look at/into a bunch of different things at once (characters and scenes, etc) cuz it makes me feel like people (or you at least, lol) are really taking the time to pay close attention to things.

**Peachie Bunni: **Don't let your heart explode! Then you can't read the rest... Anyway, thank you so much for taking the time to read several chapters at once and also for reviewing. It's great that you can relate to the things you find in FaS - that makes me feel better about it.

**JC: **Ouch. Tho I appreciate your brutal honesty, it's a shame you won't continue. However in my defense, IkkiAkito is the most popular pairing in the AG fandom, and there are plenty of stories of them. But FaS is clearly an IkkiKazu fic, and therefore will not really focus much on Akito/Agito. I'm sorry if any OOC bothered you, but if you are looking for more attention to Akito's character, I'm sadly not the person to come to. I'm an Ikkazu shipper all the way.

**belze234: **eehhh I update as fast as I can, hunny. I don't want to rush these things, you know? I hope you didn't have to wait TOO long, tho.

**Cookies of Lust: **Dear god another one? All in one sitting thats just so crazy. You DO deserve a pat on the back (does so) Really, I'm writing the girls just to cover bases. It's not that I don't enjoy writing them. Just that I enjoy writing Ikk and Kazu MOAR. Awesome that you liked the scene between those two. I'll tell you, I had a hell of a time writing it XD Your review was anything by pointless. It really meant a lot to me, so thank you very much!

**kool: **Sorry for the wait.. I always try to update as soon as possible but sometimes chapters just need more time than I wish they did.

**Kitten: **Izzit time for Air Gear on your series cycle yet? XD

well.. and hour and 45 minutes or so later, we're done with replies!! Sorry if I skipped over anyone or misspelled names XD I think Imma hold off on editing this until tomorrow cuz I'm too beat to do it right now. Thanks again to all the reviews and reviewers and even the readers who don't review. You are the reason FaS is still going.

Well, way to take up a huge chunk of the page with.. you know.. NOT the story...

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**Air Gear**

_a fiction by Crimson Vixen_

**Us**

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* * *

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"_Geez, you're annoying," Ikki grumbled, stuffing his tiny hands into his oversized pockets. This irritating and wimpy boy in front of him was just staring at him with __the__ biggest, bluest eyes he'd ever seen, and Ikki couldn't help but want to just find a stick and swat at him until he went away. "You need to stop following me around."_

"_I'm sorry," said the boy. "If you want, I can…"_

_And Ikki __did__ want him to leave. So before the miserable little blonde could finish his sentence Ikki shoved him on the chest. The other boy stumbled back a little, almost lost his balance and almost fell, but caught himself and wiped at his face with the back of his arm. Ikki made a strange face, lowering his brows and crossing his arms over his small chest. Why wasn't this kid going away?_

"_I'm Kazuma," the boy said suddenly, forcing a smile into his lips. His voice was tiny – Ikki almost didn't catch it and might not have caught it at all if he didn't see the other boy's lips moving – and Ikki scoffed at the timid way he spoke, the unsure posture and the overall diffident way he carried himself. The young crow wriggled his lips as he pondered for a while, before he stuck his hand out, knowing he'd probably regret it._

"_I'm the great Ikki," Ikki blurted. He didn't know how or why, but this pathetic boy… no matter how much he tried, wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, it seemed. So Ikki figured he might as well make use of the guy. Yeah, he was going to make something of him._

"_I… Hi," the blonde offered, carefully reaching out, stopping short as if too nervous to touch this boy, this Ikki who had somehow grabbed his attention from a distance, who seemed so cool and Kazuma pulled his hand away at the last second, as if this wasn't the first time they tried this. But Ikki, irritated by this boy's indecisiveness, snatched the blonde's hesitating hand and shook it._

"_Alright. Kazu," he said, tugging at the other to force him by his side. "Get over here."_

_--_

* * *

_--_

If he had a quarter for every time Kazu had run off...

The thud of Ikki's feet slapping against the floor echoed and bounced off the walls, at least to his ears, as if there were no other sounds that existed at the moment to distract him, and he whipped the door open, threw Kazu's name from his throat and took two large running steps forward…

…and tripped. Arms flailing for dramatic effect.

"Dammit!" Ikki spouted, getting to his hands and knees and looking back to see what he'd tripped over. His features softened greatly when he saw Kazu sitting on his front step, chin in one hand and a small smirk raising his one cheek as he stared with an amused look in his eyes.

"You…" the crow uttered, gathering himself and taking a seat next to the blonde. "You're _here_."

"Yeah," Kazu drawled lazily, not bothering to comment on the way Ikki's hand landed upon his knee as if keeping him in one place. Ikki's palm was warm, and that warmth crept through his jeans and curled slowly like smoke up his thigh. Kazu visibly struggled with what he wanted to say but eventually got it out. "Wasn't worth it."

Ikki hummed his response and stood, just now remembering that he still possessed Kazu's hat and handed it to him. Kazu blinked twice, then reached out with a slow hand to take the knitted cap back and place it on his head, and no sooner was it snug over his hair did Ikki start tugging Kazu by the arm.

"Walk with me."

"O-okay."

And so Kazu trotted alongside the crow, feeling strangely at ease with the way neither of them were speaking. Or at least, it had to have been a good ten minutes or so before Ikki reached out and stopped him, anyway.

"Why do you do that?"

"Huh? Do what?" Kazu automatically went on defense, silently praying that Ikki wasn't on again about his repetitive act of running away as a first resort in situations he didn't like, with the excuse of 'It's my road' fiddling in the back of his mind and on his tongue but Ikki reached out and lifted the blonde's chin with his fingers, so their eyes could meet.

"You do this thing. You've always done it since before I can remember. Where you always keep your eyes low as you're walking. Try looking up some time. Chin up. You'll see where you're going a lot better," the crow rambled, then smiled a small, lopsided smile. "If you get my drift."

Kazu gulped and slowly slid his chin free from Ikki's calloused fingers.

"I get it," he said quickly before picking up the pace and walking in front of Ikki now. The crow easily caught up, hands in pockets and still grinning like the idiot he was.

"Well are you going to give it a shot?"

"Huh?"

"Come on," Ikki said, flicking the underside of Kazu's jaw and forcing the boy to lift his head higher. Past his bangs Kazu could see the paved road disappear into the distance, the green grass down low and blue skies up high. He kept his head held up even as Ikki retreated his fingers back into this coat pockets. "Isn't that better?"

Oddly enough…

"Yeah…"

"Told you. You should listen to me more."

Kazu nodded strangely, half agreeing just to shut the guy up, half because it _did _feel better. And with his eyes Kazu could clearly see that nothing was stopping Ikki from taking his arm again to pull him along in another direction, yet the crow had taken him by the hand instead.

Like it was that. Fucking. Simple.

Well – Kazu caved a little – maybe it was.

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* * *

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_Ikki leaned against the school wall by himself, 'people watching' all the kids as they played on the playground. Young boys chasing young girls not because they liked them but because they could, other kids playing tag or some strange game with a ball and a square chalked onto concrete he didn't quite understand. But he was focusing in on one group of kids in particular; the class bullies. _

_What they were up to now was pretty obvious, what with the way that Kazu kid was quivering where he stood, trying to hide his face behind his hair, the very thing that the kids were poking fun at. Ever since Kazu first stepped foot into that classroom, eyes followed him and fingers pointed, because his hair was a strange color and therefore was worthy of laughter. And, Ikki noted bitterly and with a slight sneer of the mouth, Kazu was wimpy enough and useless enough to sit back and let it happen. He wasn't doing a damn thing, save for crying. That's what Ikki assumed he was doing, anyway, rubbing at his eyes like that. It was hard to tell from a distance._

_Ikki didn't know why he was approaching them, but he was, and his hands were in fists, feet stomping in a way that made noise so other kids knew he was coming. The bullies were not much bigger than Ikki himself, but they were full of themselves, and Ikki puffed out his chest with as much air as his lungs could take, cleared his throat and took a stand in front of Kazu; that shaking, weak pile of mush that just silently screamed for protection. The crow had no idea why he was suddenly the one trying to give that protection, but there was just something about this boy picking on Kazu that he couldn't stand. _

"_Leave him alone," Ikki bit, drilling his eyes into the one in the middle; there were three of them, each looking equal in stupidity. They stood with stupid hair cuts and missing baby teeth and clothes their mother probably picked out and Ikki had to force his lips to scowl when they wanted to curl into a smug grin. "You don't have nothing better to do?"_

_Didn't they have some stupid girl to pick on or something? For her girly attitude or her frilly clothes or her cooties? Not this wretched boy for the color of his hair, something that Ikki was sure was out of the blonde's control. He was different, and he stood out, and there was something about it that Ikki couldn't ignore. Besides, Ikki had poked fun at it once or twice already in the past, but it was never anything that made the boy cry like it was doing right now, and it wasn't Kazu's hair that bugged him. It was his annoying personality. To be honest, Ikki didn't know why he was still even wasting his time on the kid._

_Maybe the thought of anyone giving him a hard time other than himself just bothered him that much._

_Ikki didn't catch what they said but they were laughing at him now, stepping close and shoving him on the arm. The little crow stood his ground, stubborn and stupid and young, and shoved back, __hard__. _

_Then, before the bully or his friends could say anything or call a teacher over for help, Ikki punched him square in the face. The bully, now with a bleeding nose, held his hands over his face and started to turn red with upcoming tears. His friends stared at him with no words to say, and Ikki felt it was a good time to turn around and forget they were even there. He faced Kazu, whose cheeks were already shimmery and wet with tears that had fallen, and Ikki scowled deeply._

"_Don't do that," he muttered, pulling his sleeve down to cover his hand and dabbing roughly at Kazu's eyes. The blonde tried to turn his head away but Ikki just stubbornly kept dabbing. He was sure that somewhere in the distance he heard a song carry in the wind about him and Kazu, K-I-S-S-I-N-G in a tree and something else he didn't catch – he didn't know the words but he also didn't care – but he chose to ignore it and instead, was taken aback with the smile attempting horribly to break free on Kazu's face._

"_Thank you, Ikki," he uttered. "You don't think my…"_

"_It's not like I like you or anything," Ikki mentioned quickly, before this boy started to follow him around again. Make him look bad. "And geez, stop crying already. They're gone now, see?"_

_Kazu just nodded his head when he saw that the two of them were alone now, shrinking back into himself and blushing something fierce. He was still embarrassed by his hair, something that was hard to hide, Ikki noticed. He was still sniffling but was no longer crying. Ikki's curiosity was peeked; this kid was actually doing what he was told by trying to suck it up._

"_If they bother you again, you should just call me. You obviously can't fight or anything," the cocky boy grumbled, a pinky digging absentmindedly in his ear, eyes towards the heavens. Well now that he thought about it, his life up to now had been unbearably dull and boring; having something to occupy his time might not be so bad. He gave Kazu a good long look and heaved a sigh – he was really doing this kid a favor. "Actually, you should just stick close to me. I'll look after you."_

"_What?" Kazu asked, eyes starting to sparkle. Ikki looked off to the side, noticed the bullies talking to the teachers and pointing in his direction, then back to Kazu with a quick sigh. This boy… Kazu… would probably never amount to anything._

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* * *

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"You and Yayoi, man. I don't know. Something about that just doesn't sit right."

Onigiri scoffed at Ikki's blatant comment, flicking the crow on the nose with a stubby finger before taking a sip of his water bottle. Leave it to Ikki to poke fun at the things someone really cared about. Leave it to Ikki to mock something someone had because it wasn't his.

"Shut up. I knew you wouldn't understand," Onigiri sneered once he'd gulped a mouthful of water. The sky held no clouds and the sun was ruthless so he leaned back in his seat to hide in the cool shadows before continuing. "You just don't know how to appreciate girls."

"Oh?" Ikki challenged halfheartedly. To be honest, Ikki was having a hard time concentrating on a talk that was focusing on girls, namely because Ikki no longer knew how he _felt _about them, or at least, in comparison to what he was discovering for Kazu, his best, most definitely male friend. He couldn't say anything up to this point felt wrong, but saying it out loud, especially to someone he knew – _coming out_, as some would put it, though Ikki didn't like that phrase in the least – still felt weird.

Yet here, Onigiri was going on and on about his new relationship with Yayoi and although Ikki would readily admit that she was a fine catch, the crow couldn't keep his attention on the subject at hand. Well sure girls were still a fine piece of eye candy; Ikki certainly hadn't lost his taste in women overnight. How could a boy like him forget about things like curves and cleavage, breasts and booty?

In the past he'd obsessed over those things and surely he could say he loved it all now, too, but his eyes were expanding their sites so far that boys were starting to catch his attention too. Or at least, Kazu was. He had soft hair and a smooth, round face, deep blue eyes, a tight ass and just a bit more angular curves. Now Ikki knew any other _normal _boy wouldn't think about his best friend in such terms, but he _was_ and he acknowledged it, which made it easier.

So, Ikki pondered as Onigiri babbled further about his pigtailed track runner, that it all possibly meant that he was… bi. Though Ikki didn't want to say "I like both boys and girls" because it wasn't really like that. It was more of a "I like girls. And Kazu" sort of deal. And in any case, being _bi _was a lot easier than saying he might be _gay_.

Well, screw labels. No one said he needed one. But he and Kazu _did_, or else things were just going to spiral into a deeper pit of confusion.

The crow shook his head and his mind refocused on what Onigiri was saying. Something about how behaving and doing what he was told got him rewards, like kisses and massages. Ikki had to try his hardest not to jeer at the statement, because it honestly just sounded like the guy was whipped because he had to do tricks to _earn_ his signs of affection. For instance Onigiri mentioned that if he went shopping with Yayoi for clothes, later on he might get a special something when the lights turned off. Briefly Ikki wondered if being with Kazu would warrant the same behavior – the thought made him laugh only slightly, mainly because he was thinking of him and his best friend as an item before it was anything really official – of if he'd have to work to get what he wanted.

Then again, Ikki still wasn't sure why these thoughts were flocking to him with such ease.

Perhaps there was more to this bi thing than he was giving credit to.

"But yeah," Onigiri sighed and took another sip of his water. He looked directly at Ikki, which captured the boy's attention. "In the end, it's well worth it."

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* * *

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_The next time Ikki arrived at the place he despised the most – school – he was holding something extra in his backpack. It was stuffed way down at the bottom, underneath all his other unimportant things and took up barely any space at all. Ikki didn't have a reason why he brought it with him, or at least, not one of much value. To be fair, it was an ugly thing that he'd been meaning to get rid of, because white just wasn't his color and the thing certainly didn't look good on him at all. _

_Dumping his bag onto his desk, he unzipped the zipper and went digging with his hand. Once he felt the soft fabric he pulled it out; an oversized white knit cap, sprinkled with pencil shavings that had been sitting at the bottom of his bag. Ikki dusted the thing off by slapping it against his thigh and then his hand, blowing at it a few times to clean it – it sure was an ugly, useless thing. He was almost doing the kid a favor. _

_And when Kazu walked in, slouching and hiding in his sweatshirt with even less confidence than the day before if it was even possible, his hands were hidden in the front pocket, feet dragging on the floor and eyes cast unwaveringly low. Ikki didn't even know how the other boy was able to see where he was going half the time._

"_Whatever," Ikki barely mumbled to himself, meeting Kazu at his desk and thrusting the hat in his face. Kazu, startled by the crow's sudden presence, gasped and nearly missed stopping himself from falling out of his seat. His eyes, wide and bluer than Ikki had remembered them (not that he gave him enough attention to really notice it in the first place, of course), small fingers instinctively wrapping around the soft cap._

"_What's this for?"_

"_Just take it. I don't ever use the stupid thing," Ikki said, irritably noticing the way Kazu examined his generous gift but not putting it to any use. Huffing, the crow tore it from Kazu's hands and slipped it over the blonde's head, over his eyes and over his nose. Kazu's head reeled and then looked blindly left and right before he was wise enough to slip the cap up so he could see. It was definitely too big for him, but Ikki figured it didn't have to be a bad thing. Not for what he'd be using it for, anyway._

_He leaned in close with his one hand supporting himself on Kazu's desk, whispering to the other boy's ear so the kids that were staring at them couldn't hear his words. _

"_You want people to stop laughing at your hair, don't you?"_

_Kazu blinked and then locked gazes with this strange and cool boy who was for some reason making an effort to be nice to him, in spite of also being annoyed by him. His eyes jumped down to his desk and Ikki's hand that still rested there, taking in steady breathes before uttering a thank you._

_If it was what Ikki was waiting for, he didn't show it very well with the way he rolled his eyes and made his way back to his seat. When he sat down and stared holes into Kazu's back, he was slightly – only slightly – relieved that the boy kept the hat on his head, pulling it down as far as he could without blocking his eyesight. His golden hair was hidden fairly well and Kazu's neck stretched a tad further out from his sweatshirt. The world was a lot easier to face, thanks to the crow._

_--_

* * *

--

After their walk, Ikki and Kazu had gone their seperate ways for a while. It was only after Ikki had returned home, alone, that he realized it was just as stupid as letting the guy run off.

So when Kazu walked through the front door, Ikki felt like his mother with the way he immediately asked where the blonde had been. This of course, only encouraged a scowl to mar Kazu's lips and he shut the door harder than necessary behind him. Ikki could sense his mistake but did not comment on it. After all Kazu had originally walked in with something akin to a small smile and no new marks of harm that Ikki could see.

Still, curiosity had gotten the better of him and if Kazu was still intending to answer, Ikki was going to do nothing to stop him.

"If you have to know, I was visiting Kitsune."

Ikki raised his brows to his hairline, firstly at the tone of voice Kazu had so casually taken up with him and secondly at the statement itself. He'd forgotten all about the guy, which was horrible on his part but it wasn't the crow's fault that his face was so easy to forget. Still, Kitsune was a fellow classmate and Ikki shifted his position on the couch to face Kazu a little better. The blonde sat on the arm of the sofa and slipped off his hat to play with it in his hands.

"So how's he doing?"

"Better," Kazu said with a soft smile. It was easy for Ikki to see that Kitsune held a small place in the jet's heart, but as sweet as that was, Ikki didn't very much care for the concept. "He's still a bit shaken, but he's always been the jumpy type. He'll be okay, though."

Ikki nodded his head and took hold of Kazu's belt loop, tugging it hard enough to send Kazu over the arm rest and onto the couch itself, nearly on top of Ikki. The blonde stuttered uncertainly, arms whipping about to balance himself and face Ikki because the crow was acting like this was a thing of normalcy between them already.

Tomfoolery and roughhousing had always been a part of their habitual ways, but this time things felt different.

Not fair, he wanted to say. They hadn't established anything official yet, if at all so why was Ikki looping his arms around his neck and resting his chin on his head? Kazu gulped and felt his body tremor once. He figured he should at least be used to this by now, being so close to Ikki that is, because it seemed to be happening a lot lately, but now that Ikki's intentions were something of a slightly different nature, Kazu didn't know how to react _to_ those actions.

So he stilled, and slowly relaxed, and he did nothing but breathe. After a few moments of stretched out silence, Ikki planted a very light kiss to the shell of Kazu's ear, and although the blonde tensed momentarily, he did not pull away, and Ikki sighed and chuckled a little.

"That fatass thinks he's got it so good," he muttered, and Kazu tried to turn his head to give a questioning look but Ikki was still holding him, which made it difficult. "I don't have to earn shit from you."

Kazu opened his mouth to ask for a bit of an elaboration on those words, but Ikki leaned back and pulled Kazu into a resting position on his lap. The blonde stared up owlishly at the crow, eyes clouded over in vague disorder. Whatever 'shit' Ikki was talking about earning, Kazu assumed he was right; Ikki already had most things Kazu had to offer. His friendship and loyalty, his trust and devotion, and very soon, Kazu near feared, perhaps a bit more.

But Kazu thought he'd never be ready to ask Ikki the questions that had been spiraling around in his already confused mind; '_So, are we together or something_?' because neither of them had actually _said _it. Kazu knew that Ikki was the direct type, but sometimes he needed a little push, and the blonde knew he was going to have to force himself to speak up if he even intended to see things as they were meant to be.

He squirmed and flipped around to face Ikki, lips already working before their eyes had the chance to meet.

"Ikki, what are we?"

It was so fast and slurred that Ikki nearly didn't catch it, but he did, and he hesitated. He really didn't feel the need or the desire to discuss it, but if Kazu was so clearly uncertain… And now that Ikki was faced with confrontation on the matter, he had very little to say.

"What do you mean, what are we?" he scoffed, as if it would provide all the answers they needed, but Kazu's eyes were clouding over with even more uncertainty, and Ikki sought a way to avoid it. "We're, you know, you and me."

"But are we an _us_?" Kazu almost pleaded, getting closer. When Ikki did nothing but stare and lick his lips, Kazu spoke again, in a way that showed Ikki that he required a straight answer. "_Please_ Ikki, I need to know."

Kazu remained frozen in time waiting for an answer; He had told Ikki that he wanted whatever the crow wanted, but what exactly did Ikki want?

"You…" Ikki started, staring wide eyed into the other boy's blue depths, then frowned and lowered his brows in an aggravated way. If even after what they'd done Kazu was still in doubt and confusion, Ikki wasn't sure _what _would sink into the blonde's brain. Not only that, but why was it that Kazu was so desperate for an answer when he himself would not give Ikki the answers that _he _craved? Something about it just wasn't fair, and Ikki lost a little bit of his tolerance. Things like indecisiveness and hesitation were sometimes things that tugged away at his layers and he gave Kazu a light thump on the head with his palm.

The blonde looked at him, confused, but that didn't stop Ikki from taking Kazu by his non-pierced ear and tugging him closer. When the boy's head hit his chest Ikki wrapped his arms around him to keep him there.

"You hear that, Kazu?"

After his short lived thrashing died down, Kazu took a steady breath and relaxed against the crow. He furrowed his brows in concentration as his ears picked up on a soothing and steady sound; something new about Ikki that Kazu could memorize.

His heartbeat.

"Your…"

"That's right. I have one," Ikki said bitterly, jerking Kazu up and shoving him off the couch. "If you think I'm out to fuck with your head, get off it."

But before Kazu could give a response or even move, Ikki rolled off the couch as well, landing on top of the other boy and gripping him by the temples. Pupils retracted when blue eyes widened to stare up at the crow, a look that repeatedly asked Ikki what the hell he thought he was doing.

"I can't tell you what I want. Or what we are. I can't tell you because I don't know," he said steadily. For a moment there was a flash of doubt and dejection in Kazu's eyes, and Ikki was quick to follow up. "But that doesn't mean I'm dicking around! Do you really think I'm such an ass that I'd toy with someone else's emotions like that?"

_Honestly, I know you're an anxious type of person but have a little more faith in me._

But instead of knowing of a way to convince Kazu of these facts, the only way he could think to prove himself was through the anger he was feeling at the moment. That frustration drove him to be impulsive. Ikki didn't even know when it was he had gripped Kazu's hair as viciously needy as he did until Kazu's wincing grew audible, and he loosened his grip a little, but didn't let go. He needed the blonde to pay him the attention he needed at the moment. He needed Kazu to hear him. He needed to be understood.

But words were escaping him, much like they had been doing a lot lately, so instead he yanked Kazu closer and crashed his lips to his. It was their second kiss, with desperately different motives and intentions but the same sentiment and sensation as before. And Kazu, eyes sprung wide and body frozen in place, could only kiss the crow back with partial uncertainty. Ikki had always been the impetuous type, always taking and only giving when the moment struck him, but if kissing someone was a mistake, it was hardly one that people made twice.

Against his better judgment Kazu let his lids droop and his arms circle around Ikki's neck because no one was around and he was a big ball of confusion that didn't know how to take his life anymore than what was being handed to him. And Ikki was a surprisingly good kisser, making Kazu want to forgive him instantly for all the years of bullying and humiliation and overshadowing and thank him for all of his faith and encouragement and stubbornness.

His pulse was throbbing from beneath his skin, and though it was merely common sense that his pulse was there to show him that his heart was beating and he was undeniably living, Kazu began to wonder if the purpose of a pulse was to let him know just how alive he _was_, by how fast and hard it was beating, especially since something erratic always seemed to happen with it whenever Ikki was close enough.

Like right now, Ikki was give him very little to no space to divide them, pressing up against him like it wasn't weird and it wasn't questionable, like he knew what they both needed better than Kazu would ever know himself, and oddly he could find very little to deny.

"So I think it's safe to assume," Kazu finally breathed when Ikki gave him the chance. "That me and you are different now."

And if by different he meant not the same as they were in the past, Ikki was inclined to agree. Still, he shook his head and positioned himself back on the couch, pulling Kazu up and next to him in one full motion.

"It really takes a while for things to sink in with you, doesn't it?"

Kazu crinkled his nose at the comment and shifted to the side a little bit when he realized his thigh was grazing Ikki's. Ikki had always been very direct with the things he knew he wanted and Kazu now knew that he was no exception.

"You have to understand that this is weird for me," Kazu mentioned honestly, a small shrug of his shoulders moving his posture. Then he gave a good, long, hard look at Ikki. "Isn't it weird for you?"

"Yup," the crow quipped easily, extending a hand to touch Kazu's earring, causing the blonde to gulp. "I think I know what this is about, though."

Kazu just blinked and sat back a little ways, staring. Ikki gave a playful push to his arm.

"You have to stop giving a damn about what other people think. And…" his voice softened. "And yeah it feels weird, and it makes _you_ nervous because things like this?" Ikki paused to steal a kiss. Just a quick peck. "Is going to make people talk."

Kazu suddenly flailed to push Ikki away from him because the crow was being confusing again. Only Kazu wasn't as confused as he was flustered and troubled accepting such simple logic. It wasn't even that long ago that he and Ikki were borderline fighting, hardly voicing any indication that there was something between them, and now Ikki's lips had found his skin on more than one occasion… and while Ikki appeared to be taking it in stride, relentless and unafraid, Kazu was falling behind and hesitating.

Just like always.

For as long as Kazu remembered, Ikki had always been quick and rash with his decisions, and the blonde would tag along behind those decisions and keep his protests buried deep within. But this wasn't something like agreeing to be the next generation of the Guns or starting up AT; this was something on a whole different level of moral and acceptance and most dodgy of all, sexuality.

Kazu had always carried a set of beliefs with him that some considered to be unreasonable. For instance, Kazu had this _thing _about the things people said and the things people did. Words were extremely empty, he decided; worthless by themselves. It was action that Kazu found convincing and credible, which was part of the reason his respect for Ikki was so high. The guy was practically famous for just… _doing _things. When things are _done _instead of just talked about, people notice.

"And I'll admit, it kinda pisses me off when you do this," Ikki mentioned oddly, finger to his chin in the world wide signal for deep thought.

"What?" Kazu jolted to attention. "Do what?"

"This!" Ikki gave Kazu a good jab to the forehead with his thumb, smirking a little when the blonde rubbed at the offended area. "This clueless thing that you do."

Kazu took in a short, sharp breath and held it. His legs tensed and his shoulders stiffened, unsure how to react to such a claim.

"Why would I do something if I really didn't want to?" Ikki said, voice a bit on edge now at the lack of Kazu's response. "Kazu, if I didn't want you to live with me, I wouldn't offer. If I didn't want you on my team, you wouldn't be. If I didn't want to kiss you…"

Ikki paused, feeling like maybe on some level he was only convincing himself of something, and seeking to prove his words but showing Kazu one last time that he would do the things he wanted to regardless of what other people thought about it. So he very gently took the hood of Kazu's sweatshirt in his fingers and pulled him closer at an unusually slow pace until they were mere inches apart. Their eyes met, and Ikki could see a bead of sweat forming on Kazu's brow, but the nervousness was not one of rebuff, so Ikki carefully touched their lips together in a tender kiss.

Without even realizing it, Kazu's body inched closer and his hand found its way to Ikki's cheek and into his spikes. How kissing the crow could feel so good was beyond explanation but it was something that Kazu was easily sucked into. Once he and the crow were in contact like that, Kazu's eyes closed and the world was forgotten.

If this was indeed what Ikki wanted, and if he himself was so easily giving into the concept, they _why not_? What would he be gaining by letting it go? And what was he proving by pushing away something they were both obviously giving a chance to? It was these very thoughts that allowed Kazu to drop his defenses and easily fall back onto the couch with Ikki mindful and attentive on top of him. And it was easy to trust Ikki since it was like instinct for him to do so, becuase Ikki had never given him a reason _not _to, and because Ikki was not doing anything to him besides kissing him and gripping his head and his hair.

His pulse was throbbing again, and he could feel Ikki's doing the same. Oddly but endurably, he could have sworn he felt it even in his mouth, and he kind of laughed into Ikki's mouth when he sensed the way they both sped up, letting them know that they were alive, and being alive together made them even more so.

Ikki didn't know if he intended to do anything more with Kazu that night; simply kissing the blonde put his senses into overdrive. But he got no chance or time to even consider anything more, because footsteps reached his ears, followed by a sharp gasp and the sound of something lightly thumping onto the floor.

It almost felt like the world was trying to cut short every ounce of time alone they had together.

The crow tore his lips free from Kazu's and looked towards the door, where – as luck would have it – Ringo was standing in shock with her hands cupped over her mouth and a jacket crumpled at her feet. The shimmer in her eyes was undoubtedly the start of tears that Ikki didn't have to heart to witness. Quickly he rolled off the couch and ran to the girl with his arms outstretched. It seemed that no matter what he did or what choice he made, he would end up hurting someone he cared about in the end.

Ringo's entire body posture was closed off; her arms were restricted tightly to her body and she jerked away when Ikki tried to touch her arm at first, but soon let herself fall into the crow's embrace. She was shaking, and Ikki feared that what she had just seen was really that traumatizing to her, but when her tears finally started to fall and she started to speak, something in Ikki's brain told him it was something far more serious. The tone of her voice was off somehow.

Kazu sat frozen on the couch, hands clutching at the cushions beneath his bottom and palms sweating up a river. Neither him nor Ringo could bring themselves to meet gazes; Ringo buried her head in Ikki's chest while Kazu brought his eyes to his knees as they banged together.

Remarkably, Ikki found his voice.

"Ringo, I… I don't know what to… I didn't mean for-"

"Ikki," Ringo cut him off, pushing herself only slightly away from Ikki but remaining close, finding comfort in Ikki's arms. Still, her eyes were wavering and downcast, but Ikki could see the tears drip to the floor. The storm rider shook her head viciously, seeming like she was trying to shake away the memories of what she'd just seen. Perhaps, Ikki assumed, her tears were a mix of heartbreak and whatever else she was trying to say. A double whammy that Ikki felt entirely responsible for.

Ikki stooped over a ways to try and force Ringo to look at him. His hands squeezed her shoulders in reassurance and he licked his dry lips.

"Ringo. Talk to me."

"I came to tell you, Ikki," she said miserably, palms digging into her eyes to dry them and keep them from seeing the boy she admired so much because she was terrified of what she might find there in his eyes. Things like admiration or feelings for someone that wasn't her. "Th-there's been another murder."

* * *


	22. Trust

**A/N: **Muhh... slow updates... no one shots lately. People's challanges not being touched. Writers block... BLECH! Not to mention very little time to work on things. Hope you all weren't expecting great things from this chapter - it was a bitch to write, had to get a lot of things out of the way. But the next chapter is all in my head and should hopefully make up for it.

I hope to get out another one or two updates before I leave home for 5 months. I'm really trying, guys. Ask **Masi-no-Ichigo**!! She knows how much I've been trying and struggling with this chapter. I'm very tired these days, too, lol.

(whine piss moan)

I also know I have lots of stories and chapters to review, guys, please try to wait for me to get back into the vibe.

Well the next update shouldn't take as long as this one did. I hope. Start of this chapter takes place right after the last one ended - I only tell you this in case it's been so long that some of you forgot what even happened. And yeah, all the contents of this whole chapter totally happens in one night.

And just in case I don't update again in time, I must ask again, is anyone going to **_Otakon_**? I'll be going as Kazu with _Kitten-chan_ as my Ikki.

Uhm, I'm really tired so I can't think of more to say right now.

**Warnings: **I should HOPE you know my usual warnings by now.

**Thank You**

**KidAngel: **lol how is it that you're usually the first reviewer? Yeah, see, you seem to get what I mean about forcing the story to move forward a little bit faster. Realistic or not, my readers and myself want to see something HAPPEN, instead of chapters and chapters of build up. Thank youuu!

**Jess: **Filler is only good, in my mind, if it has at least SOME linking to the actual storyline or plot. And I really wanted to play with Ikki and Kazu's younger years, in a way I saw it in my own mind while ignoring the latest few chapters of the manga. Glad you liked!

**iKat.13: **Well... you know me. I like to leave people dangling. I've been meaning to touch on their childhood for a while, and had it all planned out BEFORE those chapters of the manga came out. Thank god for Ikki's brash personality, making a 'rushed' chapters seem at least a little more fitting. Thank you, hun.

**Slifer: **Lol so happy you like that line - I was kinda smirking when I wrote it. I know I fuss about OOCness a lot, but it's mostly just me fretting about my idea of Ikki and Kazu not matching up with the idea other people have, you know? I hope this update wasn't TOO long a wait, I know it's been a while.

**Chubby-King-Chocobo: **I'm actually having trouble dealing with Akito, lol. As mean as it sounds, he's more or less finished with his importance in the story and now he's written in because he's supposed to BE there. (bad author) Must say, it's hard to try and develope several people at once. I've never done it before.

**FallenAngelKiya: **Better and better? Aw that's so sweet of you to say, and wonderful to hear since I've been freaking over them lately. I actually DO want to write manga, and doujinshis, and fanfiction helps I think.

**Masi-chan: **lol you fell asleep on me last night! Well even with all your spoilers I hope you get some surprises this time around. Thank you muchly for your wonderful review, and I was smiling when you mentioned the Morningside song. You are so spazztastic I love it.

**Arrow.Aero.Air: **I wouldn't say the best, but you saying that sure does feel good! You don't really dream about FaS stuff, do you? That'd be so insane. You think about it during soccer? lol how awesome! Well I only hope that this chapter satisfies you as much as the last one did.

**Forgetfull: **Happy to be of service, darling! Thank you for the comments about the cosplay, that means a lot to me! Aw, try not to stay up too late reading this one, ok? You should sleep! This fic will always be here XD

**ranchan-akari: **Yeah, I'm pretty much putting Ringo through hell, I realize. But I don't want to ignore her obvious feelings for Ikki. Thank you so much for your kind words, too.

**TheaBlackthorn: **Thank you! I really adore Ikki's impulsive nature - you know, it can be REALLY fun to write. I must thank you muchly for waiting so patiently for this chapter. Reviewers who are willing to wait for updates make the actual updates that much easier.

**Katanari: **2 in the morning? Why are you people staying up so late to read!? (I'm not one to talk, I stay up really late editing and updating.) Don't worry about coherency, I'm totally in tune and used to spacey rambling reviews, lol. Natural and real, thank you! And thanks for the luck on the job, tho in another two or three weeks I'll be done (thank god).

**Emi Sue: **Emi Sue my darling, I don't mind at all if people miss some reviews! You should know that by now, but thanks for popping in to tell me all the wonderful things you said. I missed you, though - so happy to see you around. (HOW did you get music notes in your review?! XD)

**Blizzy: **Oh Blizzy my awesomely well worded reviewer! Once again your lengthly comments make my day, cuz I get a perfect mix of "THIS was good" and "this COULD have been better" etc etc. I feel like I get a lot out of your reviews and I can't thank you enough.

**Endy: **Be careful not to let ffnet gobble up your review, love! I hate when it does that, but you spew on about FaS enough on MSN that I don't care if you leave even a three worded comment. Thank you hun, for your devotion this far, and for, ya know, your awesome friendship.

**Ikichi: **Yeah, most stories end at some point, lol. I won't be leaving you tho! I'll prolly always be around to give out Ikkazu fics. Thanks for the comments, hun!

**MindFuel: **SEMI-filler, yus. It wasn't totally important but it wasn't totally UNimportant either. Either way, happy you enjoyed. I'm trying update like usual but the latest chapters are getting harder and harder to write.

**Udyjay: **I know! Her work is just the best! Reviewing along the way is fun in my opinion, and it's really easy for me to follow and understand. And your reactions are fun to read, anyway. The couch scene was good for you, ne? Awesome to know! Thanks for the review and don't worry, even though I'll be busy in another state, I'll be doing my best to work on things.

**Seiji-kun Chiaki-kun Eiji-kun: **I just hope that if updates do get spaced out a lot more due to my trip, that readers will still be interested enough to finish reading it! LOL you really thought that was that funny? That's fantastic, haha! All of your comments meant a lot to me so thank you.

**shoxxic: **PLEASE forgive me for not reviewing your fic yet! It's so wonderful and worth one of my best reviews but you know with my long reviews I have to really be in the right mood to leave it properly. Anway, YEAH that's a long break you took but I'm SOOO happy to see you back! Awesome to know you're still around, hun.

**MisakiTsuki: **Inspired? Really? You flatter me. A-and FANART? Are you TRYING to reduce me to a puddle? Thank you so much not only for the review but for your patience.

**Bobolac: **I do love cliffhangers. Wow, I'm flattered that you spent a few days catching up to the current chapter. Things like that make me feel really great about my story, which is good since as of late I've been a lot more strict and stern on it (another reason for more spaced out updates)

**Kinomoto-san: **Thank you! I get that a lot, about me being nervous about my writing but I can't help it - it's just in my nature I guess. You are too kind.

**Peachie Bunni: **lol I'm kinda unoriginal, don't you think? ZOMG ANOTHER MURDER NAO WUT!? haha, but yeah, Ikki and Kazu can't really seem to catch a decent break to move things forward, hm? Glad you liked the kissing scene as much as I did writing it.

**GrayFox2k7: **I never got around to reposting the part of your review that was eaten by ffnet but it's ok. I have it in my email and I've read it and that's all that matters. As always, thank you for the kind comments and in depth observations. It's always very fun to read such lengthy reviews. Thanks so much too, for taking as much time as you did making it.

**(no name? DX ): **Eeee ok I feel like a bad author. I try so hard to recognize my reviewers by their style of of speech and review, but without the name showing, I have no idea who's reviewing. I feel so bad, but god your comments were so spazzed and awesome! They were very kind and hella fun to read!

**Sagri: **Please hun, there is no need to apologize. Exams are important! The memories, if put anywhere else, prolly would have seemed REALLY out of place, so that's why they're there now. The murder victim should prolly be more important than I make it, lol, but its mostly there for the drama ahah.

**Nightshade47: **LOL well THANK YOU for your strong devotion!! I can't believe you're so excited! Thank you so much for all the things you had to say, I laughed so hard at your disregard of Ringo, lol.

**nonday: **I was wondering if that was getting confusing. If it is, that's totally my fault. Mm but no, Kazu doesn't know... yet. Yeah, I really do think that Ikki loves and cares for Ringo but for the life of me I can't see it as anything romantic. So happy to see you shift through so many emotions/thoughts while reading. And I think that a lot of the AG characters act older than they are. Don't you think? XD

**Vilde0806: **Good to hear! Those kinds of thoughts kinda calm me down about my chapters. Try not to worry TOO much for Ringo. I do have plans for her, but depending on how things go, it might be a little wihle before I get to that. I hope you keep reading on!

**rei yamata: **Aw, I'm so happy that it could cheer you up. I really hope everything is well with you, hun. I won't probe but I wish for the best. And of course, thanks for the lovely comments and compliments. Your email didn't come thru (reviews and ffnet is funky like that) so that's why I didn't respond. Whatever pin you want to do is fine - I much rather be surprised! You are so sweet.

**Cool: **aha, thanks. Updates come when they come, tho.

**xxoxLOVELESSxoxx: **Don't worry too much about the length, hunny. The fact that you reviewed at all always makes me happy. I know! There just isn't enough Ikkazu in the world - a lot of people can't seem to grasp its obvious potential. Your question should be answered fairly well in this chapter.

**Bug: **Thank you! I'm trying to be so very careful not to have him jump into the mind of "I guess I'm gay. Whelp! OK!" AWESOME! Another IkkiKazu fan! That's such great news to hear!

**Private Show: **Sorry hun, but the review replies and authors notes are going to stay as they were. Anyway, while I respect your suggestions, we will both be sticking to our own opinions. But I think it's also good to accept the style and format of other authors, even if we don't agree with it. Thank you tho, for your comments, and for taking the time to sit back and leave your thoughts.

**Artistic18: **For some reason, I really enjoyed your review. All newcomers are welcomed with open arms (You'll find that the Ikkazu fandom is full of the kindest, sweetest and encouraging people you'll find on ffnet. (In my biased opinion) I'm the same way, I like the 'best friends since childhood' concept and Ikki and Kazu were perfect. I'm glad you read, too, and I'm also glad you were converted, lol. I really hope you stick around.

Whew!

--

* * *

--

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**Air Gear**

_a fiction by Crimson Vixen_

**Trust**

--

--

* * *

--

With all the things going on at once around her, what with all the lights and sirens, the darkening sky and gloomy clouds, the blanket wrapped securely around her shoulders in a scene _screaming_ déjà vu, all Ringo really had the mind to do was clutch at her blanket and watch Ikki and Kazu from a distance. The two of them were conversing out of hearing range; Ikki was crouched over, examining something she couldn't see or just being low to the ground to be low to the ground, and Kazu was standing just behind him, arms crossed over his front and half hugging himself in the chill air. She wished she could hear what they were saying. Just a few key words here and there, words that Ikki was saying to his best friend since childhood, so she could get a slice of what was on the crow's mind.

In spite of her more girlish instincts spitting her into a stream of hollow denial, Ringo could reluctantly admit that even from a distance, even with her being here and therefore out of the picture, even with the two of them next to each other but not touching, it somehow seemed appropriate. She knew she would later regret thinking so, but they just... looked good together.

And very carefully she monitored the way Ikki slowly rose to his feet and faced said best friend, sliding off his jacket and not only handing it over to the blonde, but wrapping it around him and over his head just as the first drop of rain hit her nose. Kazu did not pull away – Ringo didn't even see his lips move – but instead, stepped closer to the crow. It was almost all the girl could bear to see and she forced herself to look down to her feet, embarrassed, ashamed, hurt. It was a rather conflicting mix of what she wanted and didn't want. She wanted to see what happened next, but didn't want to later regret acting out on such a stupid curiosity. Oh what she wouldn't give – _anything _– to be in Kazu's shoes right now, though; to be cozy under the crow's jacket, cheeks illuminated by rotating blue and red lights and the aftertaste of Ikki's flavor lingering in her mouth and the indent of _her _body on the couch inside.

Making herself blush, Ringo quickly shook her head before her thoughts had a chance to go further. It was one thing to fantasize about ones self with a crush and another thing to see those fantasies play out with your crush and another person. She never thought she'd see the day she would be jealous over another boy when concerning Ikki's affection. Her surprise was near indescribable since that boy was Kazu, someone she'd known since her own childhood, and yet it was that very same reason that she shouldn't have been surprised at all.

Ringo tried to remind herself that this was not the time or the place to be thinking this way. She pulled a 180 and faced her back to them in order to resist the temptation of melancholy.

--

* * *

--

It was no one they knew. Another Storm Rider, but no one they knew personally. Ikki tried to push down the relief that was trying to overcome his worry, so that it didn't turn into guilt. Who knew if it would be a stranger next time? With the way Ringo was crying earlier he'd feared the worst, but it was probably just the girl starting to stress over the matter. Well, Ikki didn't blame her. He was starting to stress over it too. These things were happening too much too often, and it made Ikki feel like he was being slowly strangled.

"Maybe it would be better if you went back home," Ikki mentioned, tugging his jacket a little snugger around Kazu's bony shoulders and dopey head. His fingers fiddled with the collar, knuckles grazing the underside of Kazu's chin.

Kazu blinked. Most of his life, he was periodically reminded of all the times he hated the way Ikki felt the need to take care of and look after other people. Or rather it was the way Ikki felt so highly about himself that he made it his responsibility in the first place, even when no one _asked _for his assistance. Though while at first the thought was grating, Kazu was slowly coming to terms with the fact that he actually _liked_ the idea of Ikki protecting him. It wasn't a feeling he could explain, though. It just didn't feel like weakness anymore, simply because Ikki was doing it by his own choice, much like everything else he did.

But there were certain things that the crow didn't get a say in, and this was one of those things.

Kazu cleared his throat when Ikki's hands slid away. He looked left and right, seeing nothing but lights and cars and men in uniform, Ringo bundled and facing another direction, Sano combing the yard and looking totally lost in thought with Akito tagging along not too far behind him and occasionally stealing a glance at the crow, Ikki's housemates grumpy and tired and conversing over by the street, before he finally focused on Ikki's eyes, which strangely made everything else disappear.

"No."

Ikki blinked rapidly in a way that made him look like he was batting his eyelashes.

"What?"

"I said no," Kazu repeated without even a moment's hesitation. And if Ikki wanted or needed an explanation… well that one was easy. "We're comrades, remember? A team, best friends and…"

But Ikki raised a hand to keep Kazu from saying anything more. Knowing what they were in his head and saying it out loud within earshot of the public were still two completely different things. He put a hand on his hip and with his other hand, pointed a finger at Kazu. He wagged it back and forth as he scolded.

"Are you telling me you don't trust me?"

Kazu was blank for a moment, feeling a bit more than just offended, but he didn't fall for the bait. Trust didn't have much to do with it. It was about sticking together because that was how it had always been.

"You? What about me? And that's not what I said," he quickly recovered. "Just that… if you're involved, doesn't that automatically mean I am, too?"

At this, against his better judgment, Ikki smirked; the response was so quick and casual. Like it should have been common sense. Kazu's steadfast persistence caused Ikki's mind to quickly and briefly leap back to his yesteryears and their earlier days as the Eastside Guns. It was pretty much the shit back then, before they found AT. And Onigiri was always a good follower, did what he was told half the time and did whatever the hell he wanted other times but still eventually got the job done. Kazu, before AT, was usually found with the security of a baseball bat slung over his shoulder and a lot of bark spewing from his mouth. But although sometimes a little edgy and hesitant, Ikki's right-hand man. And Ikki himself…

It might have just been in his head but Ikki felt as though he hadn't changed at all.

Ikki squinted through the rain that was steadily starting to pour now. He focused on Kazu, bangs still getting soaked even with that jacket now draped over his stupid head.

One thing about Kazu certainly hadn't changed, either; he was just as loyal as he'd always been – Ikki would go so far as to say unconditionally. Through bullying and school and rivals and hardships, through girls and stupidity and mistakes that only young boys can make, through accidental kisses and not so accidental ones, police sirens and homicides and stupid, stubborn blondes who looked like a pathetic pup in a doghouse under a team jacket, Ikki was sure that if Kazu was still standing here with him now, in this fucked up mess he'd found himself elbow deep in, he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

--

* * *

--

The flashing lights were gone. Which was good since they were starting to give her a headache. She was finally inside and warm. Which was also good since she was shivering outside. She assumed both Ikki and Kazu were in Ikki's room while she was in hers, which was only slightly bothersome, but she also wasn't alone. Of all the times Ringo had to stare into the cunning grey eyes and annoyingly sly smirk of that migratory bird Simca – and certainly Ringo made it a point to avoid such confrontations – now was probably the worst.

Not that Ringo _ever _wanted to see the other girl, or that any time was a good time to see her, let alone in her house, in her room, sliding her thighs along _her _window frame to let herself in. With Simca simply letting herself in all the time like she owned the place, Ringo's nerves were suffering greatly, and whether or not Simca knew this, what with Ringo's fingers balled into tight fists and lip upturned into a snarl, the swallow didn't seem to pay it much mind.

But Ringo didn't feel like letting Simca get a word in to begin with, or even take two steps further into her room for that matter; she showed no hesitation or second thought when she reeled her arm back and gave a good hard smack across Simca's cheek. Sure the bird hadn't done anything _yet _but Ringo felt it was still justified for all the past times she should have slapped Simca but didn't. Ringo massaged her palm with her other hand, the sting was well worth it.

The swallow's cheek was cherry, and Ringo knew that even if it was just for a second, Simca's eyes flashed with something that wasn't calm and collected. Knocking Simca off of her self-positioned pedestal, or even making her lose her balance temporarily, was a powerful and wonderful feeling indeed, even if it was just for a moment. It was like water in a vast desert and Ringo wholly lapped up the feeling to the best of her ability.

When the migratory bird's eyes flashed back to normal and pinned the pigtailed rider in her spot, Ringo didn't flinch. Simca was the type of girl you had to really hold your ground with, and she was ready to do just that.

"What do _you_ want?"

"Not exactly a friendly greeting, wouldn't you say?" Simca drawled in that tone of voice that just sent waves of displeasure up and down Ringo's spine. Her grey eyes were calculating, eying Ringo up and down and sometimes jittering around the room as if looking for an escape or just avoiding the grief of meeting the other girl's eyes.

"Take it as a mild tip-off," Ringo practically said through her teeth, finding herself guarding the door into the hallway. There was no way she was going to get past her. There was no way she was going to reach Ikki.

"You know, I thought that maybe with our shared adoration for the little crow, we'd – "

"Don't try to act like you give a damn about Ikki because it's getting old. You don't understand him and you definitely don't appreciate him. I won't let a slut like you treat him like some toy."

Readily, Ringo would later come to terms that she was shooting anger towards the swallow that had built up over time, and she was bringing up things from the past that she hated about the other girl, but those feelings she was spewing were ones that never grew old. She had all the reason in the world to hate Simca, and honestly, there was no shame in expressing that hatred.

"A bit defensive," Simca mumbled a little, finally sliding her hand off of her cheek and letting it rest at her hips. Her lips morphed into something resembling a pout. "I can't even stop by for a little visit without you attacking my intentions."

"I want you to get out," Ringo bit darkly, ignoring everything that the other girl had said so far because in her heart and in her mind there was no room to believe her, or to care. She wasn't in the best of moods to begin with anyway. "And I don't ever want you anywhere near this house, or Ikki, ever again."

Her words seemed to echo and bounce off the walls with the short silence that followed, and Simca, even after such things were spoken to her, found it in her to smile. As if she'd done nothing wrong. Ringo seethed.

"My, my, you are just a bundle of sunshine, aren't you? Did something happen, by any chance? That you're taking such an interesting tone with me?"

Ringo had to remind herself just how tricky Simca could be. It wasn't farfetched that she knew things she wasn't supposed to, and Simca had this way about her, where she tried to manipulate conversation to make other people say things themselves. And when she didn't know something but _wanted _to, she tried to find ways to make people spill.

Even knowing these tricks, it was hard for Ringo not to play into her hands. Images flashed across the back of Ringo's eye lids when she closed them; images of Ikki on top of his best friend and most certainly not just wrestling him or fighting him. Pictures of the boy she liked and cared about so much, _kissing _someone else, being allowed to and capable of stopping and pulling away at any given moment and deliberately choosing not to. At least until he found they were being watched...

Ringo quickly shook her head to clear her thoughts, but something must have been written clearly on her face because Simca seemed to catch it.

"Ah…" she sighed carefully, putting a thin finger to her lower lip, intrigued. She nodded to herself, like she had just confirmed a thought. Her lashes twitched and flipped up so her eyes could stare at the other rider. "So something _did _happen."

Although she didn't want to tell her rival that she was right, her silence was probably all the answer the swallow needed. And Ringo had a fairly nasty feeling swirling around, telling her that Simca was going to hang around a little bit longer than originally planned.

--

* * *

--

Kazu figured that on a night like this, Ikki needed him more than usual. Not that Kazu felt Ikki needed him to begin with, but Ikki needed him more tonight than he was saying, at any rate. Ikki needed his company.

Naturally, Kazu felt extremely guilty when he decided to sneak off anyway as per the request of a man he didn't particularly like, repeatedly apologizing to the crow under his breath as he crept through the house like he didn't belong there, chest constricting into something excruciating as he made a left turn. He couldn't bring himself to imagine what Ikki was thinking or feeling right now, what with the weight of dangerous homicidal maniacs looking for him and leaving him the worst kinds of warnings, their badly timed and newfound relationship and all the times he'd up and vanished without a trace (kind of like right now).

Odd, perhaps, but perhaps his gut had told him to use the side door for a reason. It was closer, anyway, and it was less likely for him to make noise. And maybe he listened to that gut feeling for a reason. Maybe that evening Emiri was meant to be weird and use the side door of a friend's house instead of the front, at some odd hour of the night.

She stood there with her arm raised and fingers curled into a weak fist to knock, clips in her hair and AT's on her feet, eyes blinking wildly when Kazu opened the door and stared at her.

Maybe it was all just some big set-up, designed with Kazu in mind to keep the blonde from leaving. Maybe there was such a thing as fate.

Whatever it was, Kazu saw it fit not to deny or disrupt the flow of things, because his gut was telling him something he couldn't quite understand just yet, and he kept his feet planted to the ground.

"Did you, uh, need something?" Kazu practically deadpanned. No cruel or rude intentions were there, but this girl, whether it was fate or not that she was standing there in a windbreaker and sweatpants, giving Kazu the idea that she was in mid run when she made the decision to stop by, had horrible timing. She took a step forward, putting herself half way through the doorway and resting an arm on the frame; Kazu couldn't help noticing how close the track runner's body was to his - yet strictly not coming in contact - and she seemed to be _very _aware of that fact.

"I just have to tell you, Kazu," she murmured right away without a hello or explination, seemingly forcing herself to speak. "...that I know. And this is… really hard for me. You know, knowing and all. About you. But I…"

"Em…" Kazu started, confused, but Emiri pushed a slender finger to his lips; a silent demand to let her speak while she could.

"I just want you to be happy, you know. That's all I've ever wanted. And I want to support whatever or whoever it is that _makes _you happy. But I can't say that I'm not mad at you. I can't say it doesn't hurt."

After all it isn't easy for a girl to love and let go at the drop of a white knit hat. It wasn't easy to ignore the more possessive parts of affection. But then again, what was jealousy other than a darker side of love?

Kazu was tempted to scratch at his temple, as if the action would help him figure out what seized Emiri to pick here and now and speak a language that was like talking between the lines. The girl sighed, pushing herself further into the doorway when Kazu's expression didn't meet her satisfaction. She knew, though, how to speak in terms that Kazu would patently understand.

"You know those times when Ikki sees right through you? I know it too, because it's the same feeling I get with you," she explained. "But those times when he _does_ see you, and you get really happy? I don't want to take that away from you."

It was impossible for Emiri's feelings to click inside of Kazu at this point because he'd admittedly, recently, already known about them, but something else still clicked in his brain, something akin to a realization. Along with it there was a new respect for this girl in front of him, confessing her heart with the acceptance of obligatory heartbreak and braving her feelings through the spoken word at the heavy risk of rejection, making Kazu feel almost shocked with her skills of observation. Her abrasiveness was something new about her personality that was starting to show more and more, and Kazu could honestly say it was a change for the good, for Emiri, and for himself. In a way he was envious of that trait.

But her timing, much like everyone else's lately, still needed some serious work. As admirable as Emiri's actions were, they were not as convenient for the blonde as he would have liked.

"Emiri, I swear to god when I'm back, I'll sit down and we can talk for hours and I'll listen to everything you have to say but right now... Now is a bad time."

Emiri's eyes were big, shocked and surprised and affronted, hand clutching at the doorframe a little tighter than necessary. She blinked at the boy disbelievingly, feeling like he was shrugging her off when she was trying to get something fairly important off her chest. Boys were just so damn insensitive in the moments that counted the most. Selfish. It wasn't like it was _easy _for her to be here, saying these things, and here Kazu was telling her to hold it to a later date, like it was just that simple.

"And you have to promise me you won't follow me," he went on to say, cupping her round shoulders with his hands and lightly squeezing to emphasize his plea.

She tried to look past her frustrations and took a deep, slow breath to calm her nerves. She knew it was almost like a double standard, almost like Kazu had no right questioning her company at some odd hour of the night, but Emiri in return couldn't help wondering where the blonde was heading off to, or why it was so important that he got there, alone, instead of spending a moment with her.

The track runner opened her mouth, but it was another voice that sounded, beating her to the punch.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Emiri's eyes traveled to the sound and Kazu whipped his head around.

"Not what you think, I'm sure," the blonde defended, semi stepping closer to the doorway. Emiri, still standing next to him, nearly bristled from seeing the way Kazu's composure suddenly crumbled when Ikki merely showed up. The jet jabbed his thumb over his shoulder to point outside. "I was just heading out to get some fresh air. I'm feeling suffocated."

Ikki, standing with his arms crossed and in nothing but a pair of boxer shorts, jutted out his lower lip in what appeared to be contemplation. For some reason ignoring that Emiri was at his house, now of all times, his fingers ebbed into the skin on his arm a little bit, causing Kazu to believe the crow was irritated with him, but that feeling was starting to become easier to ignore.

And so then Ikki blinked, and then half turned, and Emiri pushed past Kazu and _demanded_ that the crow wait. That was it? He was just going to let the boy leave? To this, Ikki turned back around but leaned against the wall for support.

His mind was worn and because of it, his body looked as if it had reached some limit that Ikki wasnt supposed to have.

His eyes jumped from Kazu's to Emiri's to the floor, shrugging a little bit as he spoke.

"…If Kazu says he's going out to get some air," he said quietly but firmly. "I believe him."

The trust Ikki had so openly placed in Kazu's word was both admirable and frustrating for Emiri. Part of her was moved while another part of her was slightly resentful. In front of her, Kazu's body seemed to jolt at the statement, then slowly relax as he stared at the other boy, like he couldn't take his damn eyes off the guy.

Kazu's feet tingled, wanting to move but wanting to stay because Ikki had just sent something coursing through his veins. He didn't want to believe that Ikki was _stupid _by any means, but for Ikki to actually trust his word so readily… Either the crow really did have this faith in him that the blonde had yet to grasp, or he was being tested. Maybe Ikki… didn't believe him but wanted to.

But was the concept of Ikki _really_ believing him _really_ so strange?

Kazu swallowed and took a step back, accidentally bumping his foot into Emiri's shin, reminding him of where she stood and how it proved to make an exit slightly difficult. When he turned to face her he was almost shaken by the expression she was giving; so accusing and questioning and causing guilt to spread goose bumps over his arms. In order to escape her eyes, Kazu closed his and turned his head before opening them again, once again refocusing on Ikki, still holding the same posture as before, with a bored look on his face. Kazu's teeth rested carefully on his lower lip before speaking.

"I shouldn't be too long, but don't wait for me," he muttered, succeeding in sounding in character and staying put a moment longer only because it looked like Ikki had something to say.

Uncrossing his arms and pushing himself off from the wall, Ikki looked at Emiri and then Kazu, looking like he grinded his teeth momentarily from behind his lips in what Kazu assumed was thought again, before turning around to head back.

"Just be here in the morning."

This time it was Emiri that jolted. Ikki's casual remark could have been rude or controlling, or she could have been unconsciously overanalyzing it so she could have a valid reason to hold something against the crow at the moment, and she wanted to say something – though she had no clue as to what – but felt Kazu's hand still on her shoulder as he gently guided her to the side so he could leave. And he called back to Ikki with a short wave of the hand as he walked away.

"I will be."

And Emiri stood there in the doorway, in the middle of two boys walking in opposite directions, not even looking at each other but still somehow managing to convey something between them that she wasn't able to pick up. She looked after Ikki until he rounded a corner and out of eye sight, then looked after Kazu until he was so far gone into the distance she couldn't make him out anymore.

If she fought back now, it would be a losing battle, because both Ikki and Kazu seemed distracted by something, haunted even, and perhaps her timing _was _off, but Kazu was the type to linger and reflect on things spoken. She could only hope that hers would lead to some type of resolve.

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* * *

--

Kazu didn't _like _telling lies, and he certainly didn't like being a liar. But a liar was such an easy thing to become. Tell one little fib and then make up two more to cover the one before it. Eventually you become so lost in your own web of lies and deception that you start to believe them, and then you become another person entirely.

And telling little lies here and there to Ikki to keep the crow from figuring out his secret felt a lot more painful now than it would have a few days ago, before they were, you know, _together_. But tonight hurt one hundred times over because it felt like he was taking advantage of Ikki somehow.

Tonight felt a lot more ominous than usual, though Kazu thought it was sad that nights like this and feelings like that were starting to become commonplace. The time was right, the place was right, but the feeling was off, not that it was anything comfortable to begin with. The eerie silence that surrounded him and threatened to swallow him whole made the hair on the back of his neck stand, and as per his habitual ways, Kazu looked for answers in the moon above, but tonight he found it to be hidden behind a heavy curtain of clouds.

That might have played a part in the ally seeming... darker than usual.

Even the sound of his wheels gently rolling along the concrete was deafening to his ears. Though it could have just been his senses on high. Whatever it was, it allowed his ears to also pick up the sound of running water in the distance, or at least the sound of it splashing the ground. He was drawn to the sound and followed it. After mere moments of strolling deeper into the darkness, something he was unwillingly getting used to and more comfortable with, his eyes were able to make out faint shapes a few feet away. Kazu resisted the urge to hold his hands out in front of him to feel around at the risk of looking like a fool.

Somehow, even though it was hard to see, the gleam of the knife caught his eyes instantly. Only it wasn't really the blade itself that glinted and grabbed his attention, but whatever was coating it instead. The first thing to jump into his head was a drastic, gory thought, but by far the most believable at the moment, and the longer he stared, the more the dark color seemed to match with what he was thinking.

"…Blood?" Kazu asked, speaking it out loud when he only meant to think, and he clamped his hand over his own mouth when he caught his blunder. Three sets of eyes all turned to pin him, and the blonde lost all ability to function properly. Why would they all look at him so accusingly when they were expecting him? Fingers over his lips and possibly trembling, Kazu blinked rapidly as he returned those gazes and then finally settled on the Devil - who had yet to shed light on a name - as he lifted _his_ eyes from the knife he was rinsing off under the water.

His eyes were more or less adjusted to the dark now and that was how Kazu noticed it wasn't just on the blade but the Devil's hands and arms as well. Even his clothes were splattered. Sure, now Kazu knew he should have put two and two together faster even if he didn't want to believe it, that coincidences were not always that, and it was possible that he'd landed himself in the worst kind of company.

"Holy shit," Kazu muttered, unable to tear his petrified eyes from the Devil's blood-stained hands. His red and black face did not smile nor frown as he continued to wet his palms. The jet removed his hand from over his mouth and used it instead to weakly point a finger at the man who had never officially been given a name. "It's you… you guys are the ones who…"

In the beginning Kazu had fell into the idea that his mingling with these guys and the ones after Ikki were two different issues, and it was all just rotten timing, but now he had another reason to call himself an idiot. Then again, it was conceivable that somehwere some part of him knew but wouldn't acknowledge it.

The jet took careful steps backwards, until his back hit something solid and strong arms wrapped around his torso. Arms pinned to his sides, the boy kicked with his feet; if these guys were really the same ones looking for Ikki – and _yeah_, Kazu was _pretty_ damn certain that they _were_ – Ikki had to know.

"You seriously just figured that out?"

Kazu spat and squirmed and struggled until his foot came in contact with his captor's knee. A familiar, gruff voice spewed a curse – Kazu should have known it was Riffle from the get-go, though how the creep got behind him was a mystery – and he had enough of an opening to scramble away from those arms.

Riffle stared after the blonde with furious eyes as voices sounded off from all directions, narrowed in on the kid's retreating back as he tried to move and regain his balance at the same time, and it only took the speeding bullet a single second to catch a glimpse of something rather interesting. His rage then turned into something else entirely.

"Hey!" Riffle spat, chasing after Kazu, a run that took only a few fractions of a second with the way the blonde was tripping over his own feet in such a hurry, and capturing his shoulder. He clutched at the smaller rider and brought him back to the others. He spun the younger rider around before getting a better grip on him with both hands. His fingers dug into the blonde's skin when he tried to pull himself free another time. There were bound to be bruises again, and Kazu's first thoughts were of how to explain them to Ikki. "Boss! Check this out!"

The Devil ceased his actions and turned to his subordinate with an intrigued upturn of the lips. Riffle clutched even tighter at Kazu's thin arms and forced the boy's back towards his leader. Immediately, dark eyes fell onto the jacket the blonde was wearing, and at the design that labeled it.

Suddenly, the Devil found that today could very well be an interesting day.

He approached the blonde with an agonizingly slow gait, and put a hand to the black and purple emblem splayed over the young boy's coat, smudging it a little with what had yet to be rinsed from his hands. With a smooth roll of the tongue, he read it out loud the jumbled pack of letters.

"Kogarasumaru."

Kazu's eyes shot wide fast enough to cause them to sting, blood freezing within his body. He tried to swallow but his body wouldn't even allow him that luxury anymore.

In the past, Kazu had always found reasons to be angry with himself and the choices he'd made, the things he'd done and failed to do, and the things he'd said or never spoke, but nothing had ever led him to a more powerful sense of self-hatred as much as this. In all of the confusion and conflict and emotions running so fanatical in his life, stacking and crumbling like dominos tipped over before the full set up was complete, it'd completely slipped his mind to remove Ikki's jacket. Kazu was convinced that it was the single most stupidest things he'd ever done.

Riffle spun him around again so he was facing the Devil face to face. The masked man's hand, still wet with a mix of water and blood and dirt, reached out and ran two lithe fingers along Kazu's jaw line and to his chin, where he tenderly lifted the boy's head. Kazu lowered his brows, making sure that this man met with a glare.

"Kogarasumaru" he spoke again, carefully. "Tell me, that wouldn't happen to be the legendary team said to be led by the next potential sky king, would it?"

That was right; up to this point, these guys didn't know the name of the other team he ran for… He'd been so careful not to give that information away. Kazu looked off to the side briefly. Then, realizing what a dead give-away _that_ was, met the devils eyes once more.

"And this... boy I hear you're so infatuated with... they wouldn't happen to be the same person, would they?" he went on to say. Kazu's mouth hung open for a bit before moving.

"No. It's not."

Kazu had never known the need to prepare for situations like this, so after speaking those three words, he could say nothing more. He bit his tongue when Riffle jostled him and emitted that terrible laugh of his.

"Oh, this is too good!" Riffle practically beamed, gaining looks from his boss and both Mantis and Weaver with the strange way he was chuckling. His team mates were all showing different expressions, but it was clear that there was a collective peak of interest. It was like they were all waiting for Riffle to state the obvious in his excitement. "This little faggots a member of the team you've been lookin' for the whole time!"

While the new tidbit of information was valuable, the devil didn't see the same humor in it as his subordinate did. The boy rumored to be the next Sky King was the current leader of a team called Kogarasumaru, and while Kazu had stubbornly refused to drop the name of the other team he stood for, his jacket told no lies. Right under his nose and he hadn't known; how irritating.

Kazu appeared to be putting the pieces together in his head. He'd basically just drawn a giant target on his best friend's hide.

All the excuses and escapes were running marathons through his mind the longer the devil stared at him and the more Riffle's fingers tightened. He was tired of striking deals and digging himself into holes but this was a serious matter and he had to do what he could.

Kazu didn't feel like a hero. He didn't feel like a martyr. He felt like a desperate kid with no options left.

His simple offer, or more like a plea in disguise, flowed freely from his mouth before he had a chance to think it over. In his rising panic, he had very little time to stop himself; He'd keep running for them, he'd do whatever they say, and he'd keep his mouth shut about what he knew. Just so long as his team leader was left alone.

Now, if they'd take him up on the offer was another matter entirely.

Waiting for some kind of response, Kazu bit the inside of his cheek so hard it burned. There wasn't much else he _could_ propose. He was left with very little option; Ikki's actual name was still a secret, as was where he lived, but Kazu feared that it wasn't enough to keep the crow safe.


	23. Spoken Word

**A/N: **Uhmmm, yeah. Long time no see. Long time no write, for that matter. I've been super busy and super worn thin down here in Florida. I won't go into the details but I've been VERY stressed out. It doesn't even feel like the holidays - no snow, no cold, no decorations, no nothing - so they're flying by and I'm missing them. ..But it IS Christmas time, and I guess I at the very least owe an update as my gift to you, seeing how its been so long and most of you have probably forgotten about this story or have lost interest. XD As for how good it is, well I can't say much for that. But that's something you've come to expect, yeah?

No estimate on the next update, but I'll be back home in a few more weeks and writing will be a bit easier than it used to be. Go easy on me. Still in the middle of a block. It showwssss... Seriously this chapter is total shit, I can't get it to flow at ALL. But we need an update, and I need the story to move on. It's ok, cuz later on when FaS is over I plan to go over the whole story and clean it up XD ahah.. I mean... this chapter, for some terrible reason, was just a bitch to write.

Chapter? Shit. Title? Shit. Be nice.f

Ok, no more talky, no more excusey. More writey.

If you don't want a bulk of review responses, skip past them. Lots of reviews this time around and oh, guys? I'm really sorry about the wait. I'm aware I may have lost some readers but for those of you that are still around, thank you.

Does anyone remember what they wrote??

**xxoxLOVELESSxoxx: **I know, right!? Kazu being defensive of Ikki is so precious. He's so hopelessly in love with that boy, you know? I'm not Ringo's biggest fan either, but there IS some part of me that just feels for her, prolly 'coz she's such an Ikki-supporter. Have you written your fanfiction yet? I'd love to read it.

**Artistic18: **Oh yes, the jacket was such an important piece. Sadly, it wasn't just a cute gesture on Ikki's part, it needed to be done to move the story on. Mwahah my mind its retarded like that. You writing fics, too? Gosh, thank you so much, saying you were inspired is very sweet of you.

**Slifer: **Right right, for being such a baddie, the Devil doesn't make too many appearences, does he? And oh Kazu, have you ever noticed how the more nobal he tries to be the more trouble he gets himself into? Ringo and Simca are hard as hell to write, specially since I don't really care for writing it. Otakon was a good while back but did you manage to catch us?

**nonday: **Yeah, this story has gotten way longer than I intended, so confrontations and climaxes are arriving late, but at least we're reaching that point. Has anyone noticed? I adore writing Kazu's character. He's the easiest for me. But alas you are right, they are all just a pack of idiots, but we love them for it.

**firedraygon: **Right, and poor intentions ending badly seems to be becoming Kazu's forte. The situation is almost so tight that I was very close to not knowing how to write myself out of it. But this story is my darling and will be seen through to the very end, however make or break it becomes. The girls are hardest to write, honestly, they're only in there 'coz they have to be.

**Oceans in Hand: **Oh dear, pick that stomach back up, there's more to come! I know what you mean, romance stories are fun and all but I find myself losing interest kinda fast if it's the only thing going on. A rough guess of chapters? I'd say about 6 or 7, depending on how long some of them get. How's that? XD

**Blizzy: **Blizzy darling, how I miss you! Your reviews always make my heart flutter. I'm so glad you understand that chapter was hard, please understand that this one was for some reason harder. Dear lord your mind is an awesome thing, that comes up with the craziest things when you read my things. Ahah, it's worth it. I can't promise I'll cover every single base I've put into play but I sure as hell am going to try. How's that fic of yours, hmm?

**ranchan-akari: **I don't know what he's going to do, I haven't figured it out fully just yet! Ahh! TBH I adored writing the 'silent communication' part cuz it just seems like something they could pull off really easy. LOL all the girls should die, huh? I dunno if they should, but it sure would make things a lot more easier, wouldn't you say? Dude, if Oh!Great drew more, like, legic fanservice, I will die a happy person.

**iKat.13: **It's been so long since I've updated that I nearly forgot the slap! Rereading your review reminded me like.. like... well, like a slap to the face! (bad joke DX) I do feel bad for Emiri but I also really like her character, which is why she seems to get a but more attention from me than Ringo does. I agree that connections were very obvious and pieces should have been put together much faster, but I'll take it as a lesson learned as a writer. Something to improve on. Were you at Otakon?

**Katanari: **I'm sorry dear, I honestly don't even plan cliffhangers at all. They seriously just happen all their own. I'm all american, white, dork, so on, so on... Was it really a twist? XD lol it seemed too predictable to me, but thank you so much for that. The review wasn't crappy, it's very much appreciated.

**ArrowAeroAir: **I'm sorry to hear you've been down, and very happy to hear I could serve as a pick-me-up! Well hopefully by now things have cleared up and you're doing much better, and if not, here's hoping this chapter helps you out again. Have I ever had writers block? Try all the time. Like right now, which is why this chapter is going to suck balls. Thank you!

**Chubby-King-Chocobo: **lol too late, I tired myself out too much these days. Sorry for lack of fast update this time around, and I'm glad you can sense the rising tension. It was hard to portray. OMG yeah about the Akito thing, he doesn't need much time in FaS cuz he gets soooo much attention everywhere else, from so many people. If people hate the lack of him in this story, they just have to click on other stories. Me and you? We're on a good wavelength here.

**Nightshade47: **Don't cry, I'm a sucker for sad endings, as I've said, which totally spoils all fear of something irreversable happening! Sorry for the cliffy, they just happen, really. Aww you flatter me so! Hearing someone is 'devoted' to FaS is such a compliment, and thank you! You check my pages and all that! Mwahhh~

**Versus: **No apologies needed, dear. Yup, the plot is finally getting somewhere good, after how many chapters of nonsense, right? Not many people saw the jacket thing coming, mainly cuz no one really remembered he had it on (not even Kazu). I think I only remembered it cuz it was vital to the next part of the story. Oh ho, you're guessing skills are to be envied, dear, let's just leave it at that, huh?

**Telecast: **Long review is long. But it's totally cool, I LOVE long reviews. Ah, a write and read type, I like that. Thanks for helping me find the mess ups, I always seem to miss something somewhere, ahaha, which is sad, and thank you for all the compliments. Uneasy, huh, if you don't really feel it, eh? TBH I can understand that - I get that sometimes. Like I should force my sadness but shouldnt the words make me feel it anyway? Thank you so much hun, and don't worry about long reviews. I live for them.

**Seiji-kin Chiaki-kin Eiji-kun: **Aww, you're so sweet ;_; Reading my notes and responses is so kind of you. Aw and you sound so devoted to finishing the fic, which means SO much to me, really. YOU, are so flattering to me in the way you react to just one paragraph. I hope you keep reading, my dear, the story is quickly (slowly) coming to an end.

**TheaBlackthorn: **Yup they sure are assholes, arn't they. I guess it's my fault that everyones all depressed or somethin'gs going on, lol, but hopefully things clear up if they work out the way I'm planning. I'm so sorry about the wait, though. I love writing emotion - not to sound self centered but it's something I find very easy to write about.

**Cataclysmic Disaster: **Oh! Thank you very much! As much as I don't like writing Ringo Simca scenes, I did enjoy the slap. I think I was smirking at the time. Sorry to leave you in suspense for so long, seriously, and thank you for all your words. LOL I don't get Kitten to draw anything - she kinda does it of her own free will. Don't worry, she'll do more eventually, if I know her. But give her some time, yeah?

**BlackFlameRose: **Four days? lol you are so spazzy I love it. Remember its not the number of reviews you get, its the number of readers. (reviews are nice to get tho, you know?) Don't worry about Sano, he's going to play a little role soon enough. I've been planning it for a long while now. Hang on for the ride a little while longer, he'll be in the next chapter for sure. And just a tiny bit in this one.

**bigfatsamantha: **dont exploooddeee, but gosh thank you! I hope the wait is worth it cuz I HATE making people wait, but at the same time I like to take the time I need to complete it. This fic is getting so old tho, I hope people still come around. Don't be jealous, anyone can write if they have the passion for it. I'm sure that goes for you, too. Thanks for all wishes, I'm doing what I can.

**KidAngel: **Sorry I've been so out of touch, hun. I miss you and I still now and again drop by your pages to see what you've been up to. You know I'm horrible for leaving reviews on time, I'm always late, but forgive me! I hope you're still around for this chapter, I hope to hear from you soon!

**Ikichi: **Yeah.. it did kinda fly by, didn't it. It was hard but at least it's over with. When the whole fic is done I'm going to go thru it and fix all my errors and make the sentences flow better. A final run through, sorta. Don't worry, I'm not going to let this baby die, or give it up - if you still have interest in it, be rest assured that it will be finished. I'm set on it.

**Endy: **Oh Endy-darling where have you gone? I miss talking to you so much, you know! Mahh but your reviews ALWAYS brighten my day, no matter what. You are always so observant and descriptive when your reviews and I get so happy reading them. Don't apologize for crit, without that I can't improve. LOL omg I love your 'Zuzu' so much, you can bet it'll reach a story somewhere in the future. Bet on it. Juicy stuff is on its way, I know you've been waiting for this, so here you go, hun. I hope I get to talk to you soon, it's been so long.

**Udyjay: **Did I just see a hint that you'd raep me, dear? lol, thank you for your understanding that other things happen, and I don't have all the time to write that I'd like to have. Ringo teeters on my love hate scale a lot, but the Ikkazu is always on my good side, which means more for you. Thanks for the Ringo comments, she's not my fav to write, you know. Aahah the way you ramble how cute Kazu is makes me smile hard core.

**rei yamata: **Suspense is what I seem to be good at, from what I hear, even tho I'm honestly not trying, lol. Oh god, reading your review now I totally forgot about the pins. I don't remember if I sent you anything or if you sent me anything anymore, its been so long. GOD I'm terrible for that, remind me please? I'm so sorry. I hope things are working out for you, tho, and I hope you enjoy the chapter.

**Yunimori: **First review, I know. lol I know my reviewers names and personalities by now. Oh god the Jak and Dax days, I so plan on getting back to those some day. I don't like having fics rot away and die. I'm so happy you've strayed to the AG fandom, it's so wonderul and the fans are just... INCREDIBLE and make me want to dish out fic after fic. Ah, Kitten caught your eye - she does that. Thank you for your comments and words, I've decided that I LOVE your reviews, so I hope I hear from you again.

**Katt: **Better and better? Try harder and harder, lol. I'm the same as you, I have this thing - I love seeing a guy like Ikki control even just slightly, a guy like Kazu. They're just a match made in heaven, don't you think? LOL I wont tell you, you have to read to find out. I love slightly submissive Kazu too. There are very few times I can see Kazu dominating and while it's rather hot, it's not as adorable.

**shoxxic: **I'm SO happy to see you back, you have no idea. I hope yer still around this chapter too. I miss you XD Thank you as usual for all of your wonderful, kind words. You comment on the emotions and interactions, which are things that I love to work with the most, so thank you thank you thank you! Sorry for the super long wait, tho. Did I review you yet? If I didnt, I haven't forgotten about it. It's too amazing to forget.

**Nobodies Have Hearts: **Thank you! One of the best? Oh you sugar sweet thing you! ohhh that part seems to be a lot of people's favorite part. Sorry for the wait.

**Forgetfull: **No need to feel sorry at all, I'm the one who should be sorry for taking so damn long. So I am. You just saw this? That's fine, it's not as big a deal as everyone seems to think it is, heh. Don't mean to build up your excitement only to make you wait. I don't think this chapter makes up for it, but here's hoping.

**Masi: **Oh love, your reviews are love. Of course you're always doting and flattering me about my fics even without a review, and for that I thank you very much dear. Your ramblings are so fun to read and oh so warming. They lift my spirits. You review very well as wel as balance it out with your own spazzy opinions, lol. Love love.

**OneWhoSitsWithTheTurtles: **Ahh, Simca, Shmimca, hah, as long as Ikki and Kazu follow the right path. lol a lovesick girl can be hard to get rid of but at least she plays a good role, yeah? Don't worry to hard, love, I'll make sure things work out, alright? I'll write more as much as I can while still having a life, for you, aha!

**Cashala Bermuda: **I.. love you too? Aww Kitten gets me so much publicity, lol, aint she amazing tho!? I'm so glad you like my writing so much that you'd devote so much time to it! Thank you, dear, really, for that. For the writing and plot comments - these things make me feel so good. Sorry for the long wait, as per usual.

**IdiotProdigy: **I love your pen name. WOW, what a statement - that makes me feel utterly special, you have no idea. There are so many stories out there, to be able to stand out is just.. thanks! Kitten's got everyone coming around, I've noticed. Ah and you have so much faith, it seems like. You are just too much, thanks.

**AnonyMouse: **I am not kidding around, a fanfiction piece NEEDS to be written under your skilled hands, please. I always look forward to your words, cuz I'm getting a lovely review and a glimpse of serious fanfic potential. You are a total doll, you make me relive my story in your review in a new light and I adore you for it. Please stick around, I'd be saddened if you left. Thank you so SO much for your faith and committment.

**Neferkitty: **Thank you! The next chapter? It's right here, dear. Hopefully the next one will come soon enough as well.

**Misanthrope: **Hi! Well thank you! Kazu's such an interesting character to write. So complex, so easy to relate to, seriously. No need to apologize, you come across just fine, dear, and omg I'm SO grateful that you'd take the time and effort to express how you feel about this story even when you are not sure about your english. Thank you SO, so much.

**TotallyObsessive: **Late means nothing. Thanks for taking the time to review, thats' all that matters. Aw the time you took to read thru this story is wonderful and so very appreciated. Aw, dont cut your reviews short, I love reviews, and the longer, the better XD hehe, I'll make sure Kitten knows how you feel, I'm sure she'll love to hear it. And I'll thank her for getting you to my fic, aha!

**Ayer Gootarest: **AWESOME! I've created another fan! It's a good day, late doesnt matter! I hope you stick around too! More to come!

**Dark Yuna: **Thank you, here's more for you. I love Ikki and Kazu too, or was that obvious?

**xYellowCrayon-chan: **Ouuu, good to hear you've been around for a while. Glad you chose to review, let me know you're around. I'ts great that the little things I put so much time into get noticed, like the cracks for instance. Aw your review is like peotry and so loved. You make me want to write more! I hope to see you again in my review box!

**thetwistedqueen: **Aww, thanks! Captivating is a nice word to hear. I'm actually really siked that you mentioned taking on the real writing world, as original fiction, cuz I totally planned on it. I want to be a writer, and I'm actually planning a book right now. Thanks, I'll keep it up for as long as I have the fingers to do it.

**Kitten: **Love You.

Sorry if anyone's name is butchered. Sometimes ffnet messes up the name if they have things like.. periods or dashes. And SO sorry if I missed anyone. 42 Review replies, there's a chance I missed one. But every last review is read and treasured. Now, Onward!

And of course, A _Very_ _Merry Christmas~_

I hope every last one of you gets what you wish for.

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**Air Gear**

_a fiction by Crimson Vixen_

**Spoken Word**

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When morning finally dared to arrive, Ikki was in a strange sense of unexplainable peace to see that Kazu had indeed kept his word and returned before the sun had, but the crow had only just managed to catch a quick glimpse of the blonde as the boy dove into the bathroom and shut the door behind him. And Ikki was rather careless with the way he went on ahead and pressed his ear against the wood with a hand ready on the knob, indescribably soothed, or rather reassured, when he only heard the sound of running water. Kazu was merely taking a shower or something, not that Ikki knew what else he was expecting to hear from behind something as complex as a bathroom door.

Giving a firm nod to no one but himself, Ikki allowed his fingers to slide away and gracefully drop from the door's greasy handle and he peeled his ear away from the woodwork. Of course, Ikki was smart enough to know that like everyone else, Kazu needed some time to himself, and maybe on any other day the crow would have been willing to give that to him.

But the time that Kazu _did _take in the bathroom – since minutes turned into something much, much longer – felt lengthy. Longer than Ikki was comfortable with. Later on when he thought back on this moment he might be honest with himself and say that he was looking for a reason, an excuse, to barge into the bathroom and see the blonde with his own two eyes because it _felt _like such a long time. But if it was wrong or rude, well, Ikki didn't let things like that stop him in the past.

He didn't even stop to think about or bother with balling his hand into a fist to knock like any other polite, considerate person would think to do. He went ahead and slapped the door with an open palm instead, bringing his mouth close to the hinges, into the crack where the wall aligned with the door.

"What, did you _drown_ in there?"

Ikki had the faintest hint of a smirk on his lips, which quickly died down in something akin to annoyance when he got nothing in return. When Kazu didn't throw back an answer, or perhaps never even heard the question in the first place, Ikki dropped his shoulders. He wasn't one to automatically think of the worst case scenario – because come on, what could possibly go wrong in his bathroom? – and Kazu wasn't stupid enough to actually gurgle and drown in the shower...

With luck on Ikki's side, he found that the door was unlocked.

He very carefully, so as not to startle the other boy with his intrusion, slipped inside and made sure to seal the door once he was in. And just to play it safe, though how it was safer was something Ikki couldn't answer, he locked it.

_Didn't you hear me? _Ikki wanted to ask. Shout. _Are you deaf?_

But then he caught sight of the figure in the bath, not standing under the shower head, not drowning beneath it, but sitting in the corner of the tub under the fall of the water. His head was lowered, tucked into the curve of his arms, which were lazily crossed over his bent knees. The water was pounding the back of his head and neck, streaming rivers down his back, dripping from soggy hair and pointed elbows.

The scene should have screamed pathetic, and maybe in the past that was the story Ikki would have stuck to, but if anything, Kazu seemed lyrical. Reflective. A blotch of color in a world of black and grey and a measure of utter and complete silence in a stream of white noise. But even when he didn't intend to, Kazu's appearance _always_ had a way of screaming things words could never. A walking, complex novel. The blonde was radiating something with deep immensity; Ikki didn't need to see Kazu's eyes to know that.

Lord only knew why Ikki couldn't find it the least bit strange to stand there so easily and stare at another boy who was sitting, wet and in all his glory with his clothes haphazardly thrown into a pile by the sink. It wasn't like he didn't know what boys looked like, what Kazu looked like - not after awkwardly finding out during gym that Kazu only got dressed in the bathroom stalls because he couldn't take the other boys looking at him - and it wasn't like he was _looking_ but it also wasn't like he wasn't tempted if only for a fraction of a second… That wasn't why he was here.

At the moment Ikki didn't even know if Kazu knew he was there; he'd taken a good two or three steps in and Kazu had yet to lift his head from his sulking position. So the crow cleared his throat. Best not to startle a boy as distracted as that. Best not to risk making him jump. Slip. Crack his skull against one of the water handles. At the sound of Ikki's voice, Kazu, as proof that he was indeed awake and at least responsive, lifted his head and gazed upwards, blue eyes blinking wide in uncertainty.

"Lot on your mind, too?" Ikki asked when their eyes locked, taking a seat on the tub's edge like it wasn't strange, twisting his torso slightly to get a better view of the speed rider from above. Kazu's hands flew to his privates on sudden impulse, doing his best to cover his more vital regions from perverted eyes and turning hot red, feeling more than a bit angered and - obviously, and not to mention justifiably - confused. What a way to make a guy feel small, staring down at him like he was nothing but an insect beneath the nozzle of pest spray. Kazu certainly _expected_ immaturity from someone like Ikki and granted, inviting himself into the bathroom while it was occupied wasn't something he'd ever put past the crow, but instead of following his first instinct and hollering at the idiot, Kazu instead blinked at him.

There were no snide remarks. No retarded smirk worth smacking off the crow's face. No, Ikki looked rather serious, eyes somewhat clouded and dull. The widespread weight on Ikki's shoulders was starting to show in his posture and in his tired expression. It wasn't something that happened overnight, surely, for Kazu had been watching the downward spiral for days now. But Kazu still felt as if he was seeing it for the first time. Like it was a sudden, unexplainable drastic change in Ikki's behavior, or Ikki as a whole, which was unsettling. Almost like the crow had lost something. Kazu was almost tempted to remove his hands and expose himself – Yup! Here I am, I'm naked and you caught me! Har har! – in hopes of giving Ikki something smirk about, to joke about. Give him a chance to show that he still had that spark left in him somewhere.

Almost.

Ikki carefully swung his legs over the side of the tub and planted his feet, socks still in tact, into the water that was making its way towards the drain. In seconds he was kneeling, fully clothed, in the tub, in front of the other boy. Right away the water seeped into his jeans and slowly started to claim and darken his shirt. A million and ten things raced across Kazu's mind, too fast for him to really focus on any one of them, and out of all the coulda shoulda woulda's, he uttered the most obvious.

"Ikki… I'm in the shower."

"I had no idea," Ikki quipped dryly, lacking the enthusiasm Kazu was already starting to miss dearly. He scooted even closer to Kazu, ultimately causing him to shuffle further into the corner, until his back met the cold wall, all the while keeping his hands covering his privates.

…How awkward.

Then again, Ikki was someone who was always taking him by surprise.

"Dude, your clothes…"

Kazu eyed the way Ikki's shirt was starting to stick to his body, clinging to the curves and muscles in a way distracted him momentarily. His spikes were drooping, skin going slick and looking downright – Kazu hated himself for thinking it but – touchable. Ikki's face was mere inches away from his own, making it hard to breathe right or think straight, because now _really _wasn't the time for anything remotely confusing. Why was Ikki doing this? Here? Now?

But since when did anyone he knew have good timing?

"They're fine," Ikki said quietly. Quiet in a way Kazu never heard before. "It's just water."

Kazu swallowed. The idiot obviously didn't find this awkward at all.

The sudden expressiveness of Ikki's eyes did nothing but pressure him, and Kazu inwardly crumbled under it. They were dark brown, those eyes, deep and almost maroon in the right light. Flashed red when triggered properly. And right now they were vivid, planning nothing of cruel intention and asking nothing from him save for being a thing for him to look at.

It was that very needless gaze that brought it all back to him. He was a bad person. A bad friend. He'd left Ikki in his time of need and betrayed the trust of the person he was most loyal to. The worst part was, Ikki had no clue.

It was too much. It was now or never.

"Ikki, we need to talk."

His own heart stoppedf when he said it but Ikki just hummed something about being too tired as his lids gently closed and his head ever so slightly shook, no, no, too tired. Don't care, can't care. Kazu's furrowed his brows; he never asked the crow if he _wanted_ to talk.

"Ikki..."

"Can't it wait?" his lips fumbled, suddenly getting closer until they were grazing along Kazu's neck like he naturally knew what felt good. Kazu's throat made a sound and his whole body involuntarily twitched away, hands reaching up to carefully grasp Ikki's head and pry him off. Kazu himself could feel the half-heartedness of his efforts to separate himself from Ikki and it took a moment for the crow's lazy eyes to flutter wide enough to meet his again.

'Pleading' wasn't really something that Ikki often displayed so candidly, so Kazu's defenses snapped like a worthless twig under a steel toed boot. He let his arms drop from Ikki's head and listned as his knuckles banged loudly against the floor of the tub. Boom-dead, just like that. Just like only Ikki could do to him. Like a bullet to his free will.

Ikki's hands were light but certain at the jut of Kazu's hip bone - how did they get down there? - sliding it down the outside of the blonde's thigh only as his lips paused to hover just over Kazu's. Kazu's mouth was hanging open slightly, riddled with words unspoken and anticipation way too heavy. Ikki was moving so fast, so certain, so brave. Kazu hardly had to do anything at all.

Kazu took in a breath and was about to release it just as Ikki closed the gap and stole a deep kiss, not even waiting for the go-ahead and somewhat swallowing the tremor of the other boy's shakey sigh.

Kazu hummed, half to stop it, half to keep it from ending, and Ikki suspended his actions momentarily before deciding he liked the vibration against his tongue. He pressed himself further against the blonde, emitting a strange whine from Kazu's nose and a deeply toned squeak of something somewhere sliding along the tub's slick surface. A heel, maybe?

Ikki suddenly moved his hands up to wrap around the other boy, mindful of the fresh marks on his arms and neck he'd clearly seen but had yet to comment on. Ones Kazu didn't have hours ago before he left the house.

Kazu closed his eyes, squeezed shut, because he remembered why he was here. To think. To get away from people who could influence his train of thought. And Ikki was ruining that for him - his mere scent made it hard to focus. Kazu kept looking upwards at the plain colored ceiling, trying to repress the swarm of memories when it tried to re-flood his thoughts.

"_Ow! Let go, dammit!" he'd demanded, being whipped and tossed around like he didn't have bones that could break, skin that would tear, thrown to the concrete like it wouldn't hurt. He'd been taken by the shirt and jostled like the fabric wouldn't tear, his brains wouldn't scramble and his ears wouldn't pound to the beat of his pulse._

Kazu shuddered overtly, taking notice how it only made Ikki press his lips harder against his collar bone and scoot closer on his knees. So close that the space between them was hardly enough room for a remotely logical thought. Ikki's palms were against the back wall now, cornering the blonde in a protective cage made of nothing but himself.

"_Don't worry your little head over this," he'd been told calmly, yet he hadn't been able to keep his hands from clenching, nails digging wet ruby crescents into the flesh of his palms. "You still have to give us a name."_

_Kazu pursed his lips, determined to keep them from separating, even when something cracked against his cheek and snapped his head to the side. Even when the inside of his mouth started to taste like pennies._

"_Though something tells me you're not in the mood."_

_What was most upsetting wasn't that they wanted Ikki's name. What really twisted the blonde's gut was the fact that they probably didn't even __need__ a name to find him._

When Ikki pulled back for just a few seconds, Kazu spared a glance to his palms, eying the fading marks of where his nails had dug, then curling his fingers lightly to keep them hidden. Not that Ikki would say anything anyway, since he'd been doing a marvelous job so far disregarding everything else. The perfectly aligned red mounds across his arms and back and a slightly puffed out cheek, for starters. Ikki was too busy, too fraught, too _something _to be bothered with anything so serious at the moment.

_Can't it wait, _he had asked. Of course Kazu was only too obligated to listen.

He sighed heavily and let his heavy head fall back, and hardly even winced when the back of his skull hit the wall and Ikki's mouth wrapped around the side of his neck. Ikki needed this, whatever _this_ was. Kazu kept telling himself this as Ikki suckled at his skin.

_There had been a hand around his throat, crushing his gullet like he didn't need it to breathe, pulling him to his feet like it was his own fault for falling in the first place._

"_I'm not such a bad guy, really," he'd been told carefully. He didn't remember whose eyes he had been looking into, just that they were terrible to look at. "I mean, I may be willing to let this all slide, let you off the hook and let this whole mess drop."_

_The hope that had fluttered up Kazu's restricted throat was easily stuffed back down by his mind, well aware that these were not people to take words from at face value. _

"_After all, with a runner like you on our side, there's really no need…"_

_Compliment or insult, Kazu knew he was being lied to._

Ikki planted another kiss on his jugular, and Kazu gasped a little, which made Ikki release a small laugh, air through his nose that brushed against Kazu's wet skin. And with every following kiss, it felt like Ikki was silently pleading for answers.

_Once the hand let up, he released a breath he'd been holding for way too long._

"_I won't tell a soul," he offered in hopes of his freedom and Ikki's safety. Maybe if he promised to keep quiet, nothing would change. After all, it couldn't end like this. Not because of a stupid mistake like that._

Ikki pressed his mouth to Kazu's forcefully, needing that response and that attention and cutting the blonde's thoughts short. He suckled on the blonde's loose lower lip and pulled away slowly. Ikki needed this, Kazu once again reminded himself, whether it was for distraction or otherwise, even if there were other things to worry about. Even if it felt like Ikki was ignoring something important, even hurt at the same time.

And Kazu found himself sighing more and resisting less, almost going completely slack so Ikki could do as he pleased because in all honesty he didn't want to have to think about anything either. But it didn't keep him from feeling guilty; because he was supposed to be too upset and too distracted to be enjoying this so much, to be so turned on by the crow and the things he did, but here he was, breath growing heavier with each rise of his chest, each slip of wet skin on wet skin less noticeable than the last, each trail of Ikki's fingers smeared across his neck and shoulders growing needier and painfully number by the second.

_He hit the ground again, much harder than last time, and much more agonizing to his tailbone, but he regained his footing fast and took a defensive step back. They were letting him go, which didn't sit right in his gut at all. Too easy. It was just too easy._

_"Wh.. what did we just decide here!?"_

If he was clothed or perhaps just in any other situation a boner would be so much easier to deny but when Ikki grinned against his skin and pointed it out, Kazu could only make a terrified noise and jolt to attention, covering the damn thing with both his hands and blushing something ferocious.

_He was being fucked around with, but he'd run home anyway, to be anywhere else but there. Even if he would be putting Ikki in danger, he just wanted to be near the other boy. Just be near him._

Oddly, the first thing he thought to do was apologize.

"Ikki! I'm… I'm so..!"

"Relax, man. We're in the same boat," Ikki rumbled deeply, gaining just a tiny bit of shimmer in those sharp eyes, spreading his legs a little and when Kazu got the mind to squint down at the soaked denim of his best friend's jeans, saw the lump trying to break through the heavy fabric. "You sound surprised that it's happening."

At first Kazu laughed, a terribly airy, uncertain, frantically nervous and hysterical sound that quickly morphed into old fashioned heavy, irresolute breathing that sounded close to hyperventilating as Ikki grinned and dove in for a second round. Kazu's light brows shot in and up, creasing his forehead and marring his features.

This time was faster, more precise. Kazu hardly had time to keep up and…

_They probably didn't need Ikki's name to find him._

He couldn't breathe at all. Under the softness of Ikki's lip, Kazu felt the crow's teeth start to nip.

_After all, he was let off the hook so easy…_

And Ikki was being so… and it felt so…

_Can't it wait?_

Kazu bit his tongue to the point of sending a salty hot sting throughout his entire mouth. Under Ikki's touch, he could hardly do a thing; Boom-dead. Just like that. Like a bullet. A speeding bullet.

_Can't it wait?_

Obligation only went so far.

"It can't," he finally spewed, almost desperately. Ikki looked at him with questioning eyes, blinking under the pouring water, and Kazu had to swallow before he could clarify. "It can't wait. We have to talk."

Kazu watched as something visibly faded from Ikki's features and the crow was slowly shaking his head.

"Shut up and let me have this."

...Which really threw them both way off. Up until now all Ikki had ever wanted was to _know_, and now that it was right there for the taking, he couldn't take it.

Kazu's mouth was open but completely dry of anything, and as hard as he tried to force a word, a sound,_ anything_ to come out, his silence remained even as Ikki enclosed his arms around him and tucked his head into the blonde's chest. He remained still for a moment, frozen in a wet embrace and tensions on high, before eventually sliding his hands to Kazu's shoulders and down his arms, dropping off at the wrists to rest them on Kazu's hips instead.

The jet stiffened. Was that some sort of apology? Ikki's hands were warm and calculating, thumb starting to move and rub at their own accord.

"Ikki," Kazu groaned, trying to push his seriousness into his tone and pushing against Ikki with slippery hands. "I haven't been honest with you."

Really, he supposed he could have gone about it another way, maybe even in another place, but regardless of how he hit the guy, the sting was sure to be the same. Ikki stiffened and froze as soon as they slipped from Kazu's frantic lips. If loose lips could sink ships, Kazu could destroy a whole barrage of them. He hated confessions because they were something you couldn't easily take back. And usually something hard to forget.

"I mean, I think… I think there's some things you should know."

The sound of running water became deafening and the air between them got thicker. Ikki pulled back and lifted his head just enough for Kazu to see the bottom edges of his eyes. In a deep, almost hushed voice, Ikki spoke with a bit of a grate to his teeth.

"Man, you really know how to kill a boner."

Kazu couldn't even find it in him to blink at the statement, too thrown back and frozen stiff – paralyzed by the tone of voice at his ear. He stuttered some incomprehensible sounds from his lips, not really aiming to form any kind of word or anything but at least trying to convey _something_ to get Ikki to stop unsettling him.

"Ikki... S-Someone's... You're in danger. I've been... There's this other team and I..."

Ikki thinned his lips. Something clicked. Kazu stiffened and tried to rush out what he could before the guy snapped.

"I didn't tell you because I knew you'd flip your shit, man. It was for you, though! I rode with them for your sake."

It was coming out all wrong and he was messing up and he _knew _it and suddenly his skin turned to ice where Ikki's hands had been, because the crow pulled away to stand. The turn of his heel moaned on the slick floor of the tub before he stepped out and onto the waiting towel. He didn't even bother to dry off or clean the mess he was making.

It took Kazu several heartbeats to realized Ikki was leaving him without a word, without any more response of any kind – Ikki was like a zombie on his way to the door, which was an accurate figure of speech since he was certainly quiet as the living dead. Only when the crow was out of sight and the door clicked shut did Kazu move.

"Ikki!" That idiot. Couldn't the dolt see how important this was? "Wait!"

In a frantically clumsy scramble to get up and out to catch his moronic best friend or _whatever_ he was now, he slipped and crashed his shoulder to the floor. With a curse he pushed to his feet; Ikki had to sit and _listen_. He _had _to.

A towel was hastily secured around his waist and a hand was just about to curl around the door handle when he froze to the sudden sound of Ikki's bare knuckled fist pounding into the door from the other side.

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Boys and girls were different. This was something that Ringo understood. _How _they were different, however, was beginning to be something she didn't understand. Somehow, after only a short period of time, the male gender had grown into something so very complicated – their differences went way beyond the basic idea of having different parts and inconsolable hormones. Combine that with things like free will and complex situations… well, it was like throwing a wrench in the gears of all the things – boy meets girl, boy and girl get busy and this is what their bodies do and this is how they react. Use this so you don't get pregnant… – that they taught in school.

And leave it to someone like Ikki to fabricate the most complex mix of all. Doting and staring after girls for years upon years only to suddenly switch teams just when she was ready to take things further. Ringo could quickly feel herself sinking into depression. She never in a million years thought she'd think it but, how in the world could she ever compete with a _boy_?

School can't prepare you for things like this. School doesn't know a damn thing about the real world.

People weren't lying when they talked about love; it really _did_ hurt. Ironically, it hurt the most when it wasn't there to be felt back. It was like trying to play catch with someone who wasn't there. She could throw a ball as fast and as far as she could; she wasn't going to get anything back, no matter how long she left her glove open.

She couldn't get _mad_ at Ikki for not returning her feelings, though. No matter how much she wanted to. Screaming at the boy how unfair it felt was… well, unfair.

More than anything she wanted to believe that the hand that fell softly to her shoulder a moment later was that of Ikki's. But that wasn't right; the hand was too small, too soft for it to be his. Ringo turned around, coming face to face to what she assumed to be the very next best thing.

"Hey," she managed, and Emiri offered a sympathetic smile. She sidestepped around the other girl and took a seat in the swing adjacent to her, pressing her knees together and splitting her feet on the ground to start a small swinging momentum.

"Hey," came the delayed response. "If I'm interrupting something, don't be afraid to tell me."

"No, no. I was just thinking."

"Tell me about it," Emiri mumbled knowingly, fixing her feel on the swing handles and giving herself a better push from the ground. "I'm right there with you."

Ringo was quiet, guiltily not really paying the other girl much mind. At least not until Emiri skidded her swinging to a halt and leaned forward to sneak into the other girl's field of vision. The very second Emiri opened her mouth, Ringo practically snapped to attention.

"Boys, huh?" she muttered, rolling her eyes to the heavens.

Finally, Ringo was able to look into the track runner's eyes and feel a definite connection with her. There was obvious common ground between them, a tragedy to be shared. She wasn't alone. An unnamed, hopeful feeling swelled in her already burning chest when she came to a startling sense of comfort. Emiri's hand was on her knee in a consoling manner, and maybe it was a little rash, but boys were the furthest thing from her mind.

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Ikki had to force himself to shut the door behind him so he wouldn't look back and see that inevitable hurt look in Kazu's blue eyes, that look of utter confusion and concern that buckled his knees and lodged a jagged rock in his windpipe, and he didn't want that. It was hard to ignore the whine of Kazu's feet on the tub and the splash of water as it sloshed against the wall and onto the floor and of course the sound of Kazu calling his name in a way he'd never heard before.

Striking the door with his bare knuckles had stilled the sound from the other side; Kazu had probably faltered at the easily recognizable noise before pressing weight to the door from his side. Ikki leaned his back to the barrier and slid to the floor and quickly heard Kazu do the exact same thing just opposite of him with a foreign, defeated sound.

The silence was truly that of the deafening kind as he sat in limbo with himself and how he was feeling and _why_, which was annoyingly difficult since sorting through feelings wasn't something the crow enjoyed doing at all, especially when he was so inexperienced with such things. Things were so strange and unfamiliar that they didn't have names. Ikki didn't have to see Kazu's lips move or see his posture hunch into itself; just hearing that voice threw his gut off of mountains.

"…Ikki?"

The pause was painful because Ikki knew he was supposed to respond but he didn't.

"_Ikki_."

"Way to kill a mood," the crow stated solidly, resting the back of his head to the door to look upwards.

From the other side, Kazu's brows furrowed, aggravated among countless other things. Ikki seemed to be more concerned with their moment interrupted than he was about being on someone's hit list. Only Ikki. The blonde huffed.

"I think you're missing the point," the jet countered, absentmindedly watching his hands clench and unclench. "This isn't a joke, you jerk. Someone's trying to _kill_ your ass."

"Oh yeah? It's nice to know you've finally decided to tell me. Now, as opposed to when you first found out. What else is there, huh?"

"Ikki – "

"I'm absolutely thrilled to find that the guy I've been worrying over night and day all of the sudden decides to spill his guts, right when I was about to—"

Ikki stopped himself, face scrunched up and stubborn, and he waited for an outburst of defense of Kazu's side, but the blonde remained silent. Ikki licked his lips slowly and let his tensing shoulders fall.

"Kazu…"

"You're such an asshole," his voice was tight. "You just don't get it."

_All the things I do for you. All the sacrifices I make… _

The thing that kept Kazu from voicing the last part was him knowing what Ikki would respond with. Something close to, if not exactly, _I never asked you to_.

But that was just it. Ikki didn't have to ask. Kazu did it for other reasons; reasons that he was starting to believe would never get through the other boy's thick skull.

There was a shift from the other side; Ikki was up and moving again and Kazu was quicker to react this time. He wobbled to his feet, flung open the door and chased Ikki as he was; towel around his thin waist and still a little wet, leaving semi-foot prints in his wake until he was on the carpet. His arm was outstretched, fingers spread wide and forward as if he could really just snatch Ikki's retreating form and keep him from leaving.

But as Kazu curled his fingers in desperation, it was only air pocketed between his palm and his fingers. So he used his voice, and Ikki stopped.

"Look, I know I screwed up. You don't have to rub it in like this," Kazu half pleaded. His brows were knitted so tightly together they creased his brow. Ikki blinked, slowly at first before looking at Kazu's flushed face and desperate eyes, then looking down and to the side. His shoulders sagged, his eyes refocused, a sigh passed his lips.

Ikki made a face and before Kazu could say anything more, shook his head and grasped at Kazu's shoulders.

"Did you actually think you were doing me any favors?"

Honestly now, Ikki knew Kazu's self-sacrificing nature and loyal tendencies were strong but there had to be a line drawn _somewhere_. In the end it only slowly destroyed him; the blonde pretty much constantly created his own demons and refused to fight them properly.

"I do."

Kazu visibly worried on his lower lip; the answer was all too obvious. And right when they seemed to be getting somewhere, Ikki's temper picked right back up again and his hands dropped away from the blonde. And he hated himself before he did it. Before he tore his eyes away from Kazu and turned his back. And walked away.

Quickly this time, out the front door and to the streets, knowing that someone as self conscious and conservative as Kazu wouldn't even think to chase him down the street without some proper clothing, and Kazu shrunk back into the house to gather up some clothes so he could pursue the crow. He came sprinting out of the house in a short sleeved hooded sweatshirt and trousers, tugging his hat over his head as he ran. His feet pounded heavily against the ground, shoeless and AT-less and throbbing against sharp pebbles. Predictably, Kazu started yelling the other boy's name, telling him to _stop, dammit_, and let him _talk_. Isn't that what Ikki _wanted_?

The cool air hit his freshly soaked skin with a teasingly stimulating breath, but he pushed passed the feeling to find the other boy, who had, in the time it took him to get quickly dressed, disappeared. As if he could sense the crow, Kazu closed his eyes and smelled the air, before bursting his eyes open and sprinting to the left.

Ikki wasn't all that hard to catch up to, though. His irritated gait was strong but slow. He didn't stop either, not until Kazu was breathless at his back and tugging like a child at the hem of his shirt. The blonde already had his jaw dropped to yammer on about 'I'm sorry for this thing but listen to this other thing, and I didn't mean to do this third thing but that things important and you should also hear this last thing blah blah blah…'

But Ikki wasn't up for any of it. Maybe later, but right now, it just wasn't happening. He didn't know why he was being so difficult, just knew that he was, and he didn't know how he felt towards Kazu at the moment. He hadn't had enough time alone to place it, so he didn't really think it through before he cut the blonde off with a few words of his own.

"Just go away and leave me alone for a while," he seethed, slapping Kazu's hands away from him and taking a step back, eyes to the side and hands drilling into his pockets. "Go home."

A moment ago he could hardly keep his hands off the blonde, and now?

"Ikki, this isn't about – "

"Seriously, man? I can't even look at you right now."

That certainly shut him up. And for the first time, Kazu's legs twitched to move but he didn't _want_ to. Kazu didn't know if he could talk anymore either, even if he wanted to, what with his throat suddenly clogging up so quick and dry.

He thought they were better than this. Was Ikki really so wound up that he couldn't find it in him to listen to something so vital because it was something he didn't want to hear? Well, Kazu swiftly figured, it was his fault Ikki was so stressed. Who did he think he was, springing it all on the crow at once, and out of all the places and all the times, because he just couldn't hold it in anymore, not even for Ikki's sake.

Ikki had already turned back around and started walking, so when Kazu turned the opposite way, the way that would lead him back home as per Ikki's preference, there was no need for him to run. It's what he settled for anyway, running as fast as he could with nothing but socks on his feet, which was still pretty darn fast but minus the burn of wind against his skin; a sensation he missed.

There was no way Kazu could even bring himself to look back as he ran, keeping his eyes focused in front of him.

_Don't look back, don't look back. Focus on where you're going, concentrate on concentrating._

It had seemed so far away but Kazu eventually made it, bursting through the front door and slamming it behind him as if it were the sunlight he was escaping and not Ikki. He pressed his back and his palms against the door and took two deep but unsteady breaths before making a beeline for the stairs, only giving Sano a passing glance on his way before disappearing in the awkward comfort of Ikki's room.

The master of time stood still, letting a chilling feeling envelope his body. About a full minute passed before the stairs creaked under Sano's weight and he moved down the hallway, an airy ball of uncertainly swelling in his chest. He was here to protect these young kids, yet in his stay he'd gotten so cozy that he'd been neglecting some very important gut feelings. They were stronger now than ever before, as soon as Kazu had stepped foot into the house.

"Kazu-kun," he spoke through the door, knowing that the blonde would be there. The crow's bedroom had somehow become Kazu's safety haven. "I'm coming in."

And he did so without Kazu's consent. Inside, as expected, Kazu was on the bed, not really moping or resting or freaking out. Just sitting there. Sano closed the distance and watched Kazu lift his heavy head to peer up at him with eyes that just pleaded for him to tell the boy what to do. The brunette let his hands do what they willed and gripped the boy's face. There was nothing to gain if this child kept hiding things, keeping things to himself. Trying to fix it all without letting anyone offer him a helping hand. And it was what he was here for.

In a world where Kazu was surrounded by friends who cared for him, he looked so utterly alone.

Kazu's gasped when Sano pulled him close and at first he feared he would feel lips on his own. But instead, he felt his cheek rub against cotton. Sano was… hugging him, one hand wrapped around his upper back and the other at the base of his head.

"Wh… What the hell?"

"You were followed," Sano blurted, now holding Kazu out at arms length and meeting his wide eyes. One glance at the expression that blossomed over Kazu's paling face and there was no doubt that the boy had a pretty good idea who it was.


	24. Taken

**A/N: **wow, way to not update in about half a year. I'm not going to lie, guys, I'm in a really bad mood as of late, and FaS has been suffering becuase of it. This chapter, for as long as the wait was, is shorter than the others. But just as shitty.

Anyway keep in mind that this is anime-verse, not manga-verse. I made sure to do that only 'coz I know that as the manga and FaS progressed, things would conflict, heh. Anyway, I would also like to point out that while you guys praise this piece so much, it's still a piece of fanfiction that will occasionally fall back to its roots and resort to fanfic tactics. (As in, people show up just as they are needed, things happen to work out a certain way, etc)

I guess the point I'm trying to make is.. It's nowhere near perfect. Yeah so um.. You all waited so long (Are any of you still reading?) and will prolly only be dissapointed. Maybe I'm just at a low or something.

It's still unknown if **Kitten-chan **will be able to make it (we're trying tho, so cross your fingers and hope with me) to **_Otakon _**this year but I for sure will be going. Anyone here going to be there? I'll be writing "Crimson Vixen" on my badge if anyone has trouble finding me. As of right now, I'm cosplaying Gokudera from Reborn (and if Kitten goes, she'll be my Yamamoto. We decided to cosplay each other's fav characters for it, lol. We'll yaoi for you! And I may be Zell a little bit on Saturday, with a very large ff8 group.)

We don't usually go into many panels, we just walk around the main floors and spend a decent hunk of our time in the artists ally.

Look for us/me!

Ahh, and, this chapter has been updated for **Masi-no-Ichigo** because it's her birthday today and I can't think of anything else to do for her. Just wish it wasn't a crappy gift.

There was probably more I had to say but.. Meh.

These might be a little odd and confusing to read cuz some of the reviews for the last chapter are in response to the "im in writers block wah wah" thing I posted. I'll respond anyway.

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**But as always, thank you so much!**

**Dl: **Yeah I usually try to just type whatever when block strikes, but even that wasn't working. Just lots of staring at blank pages and losing count of how many times the curser flashes XD I know it was a ways back but I really hope you had a good time at Kumoricon and Akicon!

**KidAngel: **Oh Darling, I am in miss of you. Just seeing your name makes me want to browse your art again. You are just so sweet to me, and I'm very grateful hun.

**rei yamata: **Thanks so much for the understanding. Holy CRAP why do I keep forgetting about pins!? I'm such a bad, bad author. Forgive meee...

**k1018r: **Ah, sorry for the downer there, but thanks so much for the understanding. It's (this chapter) the real deal this time around.

**Arrow. Aero. Air: **Yeah, blocks seems to come and go when they want and stay as long as they want, huh? Sorry about the long wait. ...The really really long wait.

**Puddles-dono: **Sometimes a few months between stories happen, huh? It's very depressing sometimes, cuz you tend to fall behind on your own story, but I guess updating really late is better than a forever unfinished story.

**TheaBlackthorn: **Don't we all hate blocks! DX Thank you for your patience, however.

**iKat.13: **Oh good lord no, I will _never_ give up on this story. As sloppy and horrid as it is, it's my baby and for some reason, people are following it, aha. I'll be Otakon again this year. You going?

**Sagri: **LOL you had me all nervous and scared with how you started your review. Ahah, but thank you so so much for your kind words, and your willingness to wait. I agree, writing should be pleasure over chore.

**Oceans in Hand: **Aww, thank you hun, that's very sweet of you.

**NeuroticNut: **lol, sorry. Is this one better?

**feste3: **I still, STILL, can't get over hoe many people read this fic without knowing what AirGear is. That feels so flattering. So have you looked into AirGear yet?

**firedraygon: **No no, Kazu's life is like a lever stuck on "shit". And Ikki's is on "stubborn". What a lovely combination. Thank you for the review.

**FallenAngelKiya: **Aww, thanks hun. Ahah, actually I wish they would have finished too, but things just get in the way, you know? You'll prolly hate me more for not letting them finish after this chapter.

**ranchan-akari: **I guess I can't help being harsh on my writing. What you call a build up I call crap, and what people call cliffhangers I call lame, lol. But your reactions are so deliciously awesome that I can't help but smile a little. I'm so glad you got such joy from it.

**Endy-love: **I adore how you have all these limits and extra work to do in order to review and yet you STILL take the time to leave me your wonderful, kind words. I really missed you too, dear, and I'm so sorry I tortured you with the shower bit for so long ahah.. Glad you liked the changes. I'm glad you've MSN back, now get on more.

**Gotyu: **You know, I don't give you near enough appreciation. You leave all these comments and reviews so loyally, and I just wanted to let you know that I think you're so wonderful for it. Thank you!

**xxoxLOVELESSxoxx: **Yeah, lol, Ikki can be a jerk sometimes though, can't he.. Thank you for the understanding and hey! Did you ever find your notebook and such? lol Clean your room since the last update? XD

**Cataclysmic Disaster: **Aw thanks! I don't think you're the only one that feels that way about Ikki's attitude atm. Happy you enjoyed the shower scene as much as I did writing it. I'm glad you're still following the fic.

**Masi: **lol following the ffnet rules and suggestions, huh? That's always good, specially when you have the writing mojo to do so.. Ahem. Muh! Comments on sentence structure and wordsssss, as you tend to do, aha. You're reviews are so awesomely decently lengthed and full of so many flattering compliments and Masi spasms. Thanks so much for the review hun, and Happy Birthday.

**TotallyObsessive: **Right, sometimes chapters have to be actionless in order to move things forward. This one has a bit more action tho, so enjoy, hm? Things are not great atm, but they'll get there, thanks.

**novembereyes: **I love shouting at stories and movies as if characters can hear my wailing XD I enjoy Sano as a pervert but sometimes I feel the need to show he's a human with a brain that focuses on more than just molesting little boys.

**Nightshade47: **Yay, I'm back AGAIN! Aha, this block is really messing up the FaS flow. Aw a fan! Thank you for reading my stories hun, I appreciate you letting me know, and even the Oofuri ones! Thank you so much darling!

**Forgetfull: **It's good to know that some people will always come back even after a long gap. I'm not over the block yet but I somehow managed to struggle through this. I'll be going to Otakon again this year, if you'll be there? Glad the last chapter had things you were looking for, and hopefully the future of FaS does too.

**Artistic18: **I'm so sorry. Try not to think that FaS will die, cuz I have no intention of it. And I'm nice enough to inform people if it will be put away for a while. But nope, we're still rollin'! Glad you stuck around.

**Vilde0806: **You have no idea how happy *I* am that I'm updating, lol. Thank you.

**xYellowCrayon-Chan: **I can't believe you're first thought was of me and my fics during presents... Wow, you really look forward to it that much..? That's just so... thank you! I'm never offended when people guess what's going to happen, in fact I really enjoy it! Sometimes if I like it, I do what I can to throw it in. Your review is so littered with nice things, and I thank you for that! I hope you keep reading.

**Peachi Bunni: **Thats good, making reader all pissed off at Ikki is kinda what I was going for, lol. You seem really attached to the characters, which is very good because that usually makes reading a better experience. Thank you for reading!

**bigfatsamantha: **Ah, I always love seeing your name in my inbox, you always have such wonderful things to say. tbh I'm impessed myself at how far this fic has come. I've seen so many long fics come to an abrupt end and never to be touched again, and the reader is left to wonder. I'm hoping to never do that with FaS. It's so very sweet to think that readers have grown to like me as a person and not just a writer. Thank you so much! You make me feel like such a good little writer, which is hard to do.

**shoxxic: **where have you gone, dear? What an oddly timed thing, logging on and seeing an update. I'm so happy you're still around. Not sure if your review cut off or not.

**Goggie: **Thank you! Kitten's pretty full with doing commisions on her DA. Thank you for the compliments on imagery, its one of my biggest goals. Kitten is a little behind on the fic, but when she does, there is always a chance she may draw something. No promises but, you never know.

**Dubya See: **You're so very welcome! Yeah, all I really hoped to do was move the story along while still keeping some basic foundation of PLOT in there.

**Slifer: **Well Otakon didn't work for you last time but how does this time seem for you? You've been such a wonderful review, it would be an absolute pleasure to meet you! I'm happy you enjoyed the shower scene (and Kazu) so much. Don't ever apologize for your reviews, I just love that people take the time to do so.

**Seiji-kun Chiaki-kun Eiji-kun: **Aw you even read the notes, how sweet. And you say some wonderful things on the story and it makes me feel goooood. I think I've said it before but I'm not a huge fan of Ringo either, but I can't leave her out of the fic sadly. Ahem... in oneshots though I don't have to acknowledge she exists. Yay SanoKazu hugs!!

**Ikichi: **I always grin a little when I see your penname. So cute. Thank you muchly for the review, I'm glad you liked it!

**Blizzaris: **Blizzy oh Blizzy, how I do get a thrill recieving anything from you. You're so wonderful for giving compliments and well constructed crit. I never take offence to your crits cuz I know you mean well and in the end it only improves me as a writer. I'm just saying, I always appreciate your honesty. You bring the spotlight to little details that not too many pay mind to, and I love you for that, too. And you go out of your way to explain things. My lame Sano being there when its convenient tactic is so lame and I know it DX Thanks as always for the review hun! It's always good to hear from you.

**the twisted queen: **I do love cliffhangers.. Yesss, I hope to one day write a little bit outside of the fanfiction world, and your support means a lot to me. lol, I'll be sure to let you know if anything happens.

**Senka Sitara: **Thank you! I know it's been a long time and I apologize for the wait hun but here we go, a new chapter. Are you still around, even? It's been TOO long since I updated so...

**Kirrashi: **tbh I'm not sure where Emiri and Ringo are going. I think I'm giving them a bond of friendship they never had before and the rest is open for readers to believe what they want. Tho it really depends on what people say and how I feel a bit later.

**Katt: **LOL the shower scene is a bit of a tease, isn't it? Sorry about that, thanks for the compliments, and the review.

**dogcollar600: **I know, I agree, but as the writer I can't make it that easy. Thank you.

**jennykitties: **Don't let this thing get in the way of your schooling! Tsk tsk but at the same time, well thank you. I know, Ikki and Kazu oddly just seem RIGHT for each other. Which of Kitten's pictures lead you here, if you remember? I'm curious!

**BlackFlameRose: **Ah, another one of my spazzy reviewers that I adore. So sorry for the wait, dear, hope this one satisfies. Your comments sometimse make me wanna go "hmm?" and then I go back to my own story and try to find the things you mention. Weird, I know, but it's a good thing. Thank you as per usual.

**Blackatt13: **Wow. That review? Wow, right back at ya. Saying I make up for the Ikkazu is so nice of you to say! Though nowadays there's a decent amount around ffnet to keep the craving fufilled, and I'm happy to see I'm not the only Ikkazu author around. Thanks for the review hun, sorry you had to wait soooo so long.

**slyswn28: **Right, there is certainly more to Sano than his sex cravings and pervertedness. He's really hard for me to write though, and so is Ak/gito. I agree about the series. There are a lot of "lol wtf" moments but there is a real story underneath it all and complex relationships that are a real joy to write about. Thanks a bunch for the kind words.

**geebabbie: **Don't tell me you read it all in one sitting? That'd be so insane.. Thanks for letting me know tho, it's nice to hear.

**Udyjay:** Thanks so much for trusting me to finish FaS. It's very nice to have support when you're struggling. lol you obsess over us? How oddly endearing. Go to Otakon this year! XD Your reviews always get a giggle out of me somewhere along the way, puts me in a good mood the way you react to things. And also makes me feel that little but better about my writing. Hope you're still around.

**PheonixShadow: **Thank you. Emotions and feelings (god that sounds grossly corny) are things I really enjoy describing in words. And I'm always fretting over things like OOCness so thank you! I'm glad you stuck this fic out so long, and don't worry, I'm doing what I can for Kazu's confidence. It's a hard thing to build though, I should know XD

**SpitFirre: **Aww, where on Kitten's DA did you get directed here? You read all of the stories? Wow, gosh, thanks! I hope you're just exaggerating when you say it made you laugh and cry cuz then I'll just feel bad DX

**Ryuichiro Sakuraba: **Ouuu, a fan-guy huh? I only know a few of those and they're always nice to come across because it gives that slightly different type of look on things. It's so good to hear you enjoy the ineractions and characters and just the story in general and even relate to it. I hope you keep reading hun, it'll be nice to hear your thoughts on future chapters.

**kyoko131: **hah thank you! I plan on updating til either FaS or I die, so no worries about that one.

**Rock Gecko: **Bah, it's always a joy to hear another fan has been added to the Ikkazu ship. Thank you for clicking on my story to introduce and cure your yaoi/fandom lust and thank you even more for the review to let me know! I hope you end up sticking around til the end now!

**munnins-memory: **It's hard to find mulit-chaptered fics for Air Gear (Tho if you're looking for more/another one, have you started to read Masi-no-Ichigo's "Eye of the Storm"? It's another good multi-chapter fic) Hope you enjoy the next chapter!

**Sleeping-Willow: **Hooked, hm? Ikki and Kazu's relationship is a hard thing to play with at times, glad to hear I'm doing it decently enough. Aww, you want to write? I'm sure you'd do wonderfully if you tried.

**Swendaii: **Wow, long review. Thank you so much for taking the time to review, even when you say your English is clumsy. I say you spoke/wrote VERY well, even so. And you gave me a wonderful balance of critique and compliments, though I must apologize for the first few chapters where you say its introducing and explaining things about characters and series that readers already know. Though I actually have a decent number of readers who have no seen or heard of airgear before reading FaS, so it was good for them. Thanks so much for reading!

**Kitten: **Things are going to work out. Hope you catch up soon, and, love you!

Good lord review replies take me such a long time! I hope I didn't forget anyone! Thank you again everyone, for your kind thoughts and words and all of your support. We'll see Folly and Sin through to the very end, no matter what.

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**Air Gear**

_a fiction by Crimson Vixen_

**Taken**

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If Kazu was asked to describe what his life felt like, he might say that it was like a dimly lit, possibly dying lantern at the end of a deep, dark mineshaft. Just a flickering weak glow allowing him to see but not far enough to actually see _anything_ but own shadow. No opening and no limitless horizon to reach out to. No endless possibility. Just the dim light fading over time with no chance of growing any brighter.

There was a thought that had been festering for a while though. One that would come up should he be cursed with the free time. A rather hopeful idea of denial that liked to come in uninvited to play with his lack of real stability. Keeping secrets, running a double life and trying to sort out feelings for his same gendered friend... really wore a guy out.

So this thought, though slightly fleeting and a little crazy, was something he could latch onto when the world cracked and threatened to break right under his feet. A thought that maybe after all was said and done, after all the running and hiding and awkward moments he'd endured, he could still beat the odds and _win_ this thing.

Ah, but who was he kidding? That kind of bouyancy was Ikki's thing. Not his.

Because face it, that little bit of hope was shattered the second Sano said those horrible words, and the weight of awareness anchored Kazu's stomach to his feet. This was it; the boiling point of… well, _everything_. He'd finally fallen so far into the hole he'd been digging, fucked everything up to the point where he couldn't think of a way to unfuck it. Irrefuckable.

_Followed_ was not the word that he wanted or needed to hear at the moment, not when he was standing so stupid and useless in the crow's room, foolishly thinking it would be a safe place to be. His heart trampolined into his windpipe in a near desperate attempt to escape through his mouth – make a run for it, save itself – because hell, the things his innards were trying to do were downright painful to tolerate. Then again, Kazu assumed as he put his hand to his stomach and applied the slightest bit of pressure, it was very possible he just needed to spew. _Felt_ sick enough.

If Sano was right and he was indeed followed, they had to leave the house and they had to leave it _now_. Not that it would make coming back to it later any safer but Kazu just couldn't see any good in staying put in the place now. And there was always a chance that Ikki could come back any minute. He'd pratically left a trail of bread crumbs to the crow's home.

The older rider's eyes flickered downwards, eying the way Kazu's hand tenderly cupped around his belly as if quietly urging it to settle. The blonde's lips pursed and then parted, possibly intent on saying something semi-lucid but Sano's hands clutched hard – painfully – at his shoulders and his voice was ringing loudly in Kazu's hypersensitive ears. It felt as though the blood pumping through his veins and fueling his pulse was too loud for him to really hear anything else.

Right up until the glass of Ikki's window shattered and shards splayed in every direction, bouncing off his head and sprinkling at his feet. Air rushed around him and things made only mild sense; still Kazu was outright disoriented, blinking too rapidly, mouth too dry, looking around too fast and unable to keep up.

Window. Something or someone had crashed through the window.

He could feel his chest throbbing wildly with what could only be the ruthless rush of adrenaline, felt perspiration pepper the back of his neck and strangled back the intensifying urge to vomit.

Shadows Kazu could recognize even out of the corner of his eye slipped in through the now broken window with too much ease, landing on their feet too gracefully and flawlessly.

And before Kazu was even aware that he was falling – because really, how was he supposed to be able to keep his knees from buckling and his center of gravity from shifting from the sudden shock? – he felt a pair of strong arms loop under his and hoist him back up before he could hit the floor. His mind raced – Ikki's room is a mess; glass everywhere. He needed to find his legs and snap out of it. Break in, this is a break in. In Ikki's room, and he'd lead them there.

Sano's hands were very quickly at his back, giving him a rough shove towards the doorway and voice breaking through all the commotion, telling him to _get the hell out_. And in his temporary stupor, Kazu's feet worked to do just that. His right foot banged against his left heel and he stumbled oddly, like a fawn trying out her legs for the first time.

But whatever spell the jet had been under was quick to break when he reached the door. His hands shot out to clutch fiercely at the wooden frame, fingers curling and nails stinging from the taut grip he was managing. Any harder and he feared he could splinter the wood. Being good at running didn't mean it was his only option (and definitely not something he wanted other people thinking he resorted to so easily); he'd decided _that_ a long time ago.

His grip tightened in preparation and he took a quick breath – not much time to debate or reconsider. Regret was inevitable now, but dwelling on it wasn't going to change anything; he'd been tricked. Used. Too quick to seek the familiar surroundings of Ikki's home, his room, the smell of his unwashed sheets and the unfaithful promise of refuge. And now he had to face the consequences of what he'd started. Even if his determination sometimes flickered with the annoying grip of hopelessness.

"Shit!" the blonde cursed loudly, for a list of reasons he couldn't _begin _to sort through. He pivoted on one heel, sensing everything all at once and knowing nothing past the overwhelming sense of danger and blame. Several pairs of eyes landed on him sharply, ones Kazu knew and refused to meet. His voice was dry. Didn't sound like his own. "Sano!"

But the keeper of time already had his feet planted firmly on the defensive, quick to fall into a solid stance and facing the intruders. Mantis and Riffle stood back a ways, seemingly blocking the window; Weaver was a few steps forward, body tensed. It didn't take very long for Kazu to notice that black contraption strapped to Weaver's back, showing more of its glory than Kazu had ever really had the privilege to see before. Its spidery limbs were poking out with impressive lengths and writhing in anticipation like each tendril had a bloodthirsty mind of its own. He could only stare in morbid enthrallment, focusing on the pointed tips and briefly wondering just how much it would hurt to fall victim to such a device should it choose to pierce flesh.

He'd never actually seen the thing in action. And as if the human insect was able to read his streaming thoughts, those beady eyes momentarily flicked over Sano's shoulders and right into Kazu's eyes.

And while Kazu took that single second to widen his lown eyes and shrink his pupils in awareness, Sano took the momentary distraction to charge the other rider, but Weaver seemed much more comfortable with prey coming to _him_, much like the spider he sickeningly represented. Those black tendrils on his back swayed and stretched, and Kazu felt himself moving his left foot forward, not knowing what he was going to do but knowing he had to try and do _something_, but was distracted by the _thump _just behind him.

He realized Riffle was no longer guarding the window when he felt a hand snake into his hair, knocking his hat clean off and yanking his head back in one swift motion. The yelp that escaped his throat was instantaneous and involuntary, just as the horrid smell that crept into his nostrils was odious. Kazu bitterly seethed through his teeth, eyes rolling upwards to meet narrow eyes staring straight back at him.

"Boss decided he doesn't want to take any chances," Riffle grinned. Kazu temporarily found it annoying and cynically paradoxical that the _Devil _didn't want to take chances. "So there's been a slight change in plans."

Kazu hissed, having a strange hunch that there was no actual change – that this was the plan all along and he'd simply been duped from the start and should have _acted_ on those damn nagging gut feelings from the very beginning. Maybe every time they let him go so easily he should have questioned it better. Maybe he shouldn't have been so quick to take the chance to get away.

Maybe he should have done a lot of things differently.

_Crap_, the blonde mentally bit, hands flying to Riffles in attempt to pry the fingers loose and release the building tension on his scalp. "You said, anngh! You _said_ – "

But Kazu stopped himself. He and Riffle both knew very well what was said, but that didn't do a damn thing about what was happening _now_.

He growled, not wanting to be the leverage he knew he was currently being pegged. He twisted his body and ignored the strain on his scalp, balled his hand into a fist and drilled it straight into Riffle's stomach in a fraught attempt to free himself, just as he heard Sano command time to stop.

Riffle doubled over and stiffened as per Sano's word, enough for Kazu to squirm away from the statue-like grip and scamper to Sano's side. He pushed his back into the other storm rider's, felt their spines align and their lungs expand against one another's.

The controller of time knew how pointless it would be to argue the young speed rider's decision to stay and fight. Instead he sized up the situation presented; three against two. Not impossible.

Sano pressed his back harder against Kazu's in both preparation and forewarning; just as he allowed the spell of time break, both riders peeled off in different directions; Sano raced towards Weaver while Kazu narrowed in on Riffle and Mantis. He hadn't the slightest clue what he was going to do when he closed in on them, or how – so he sped and circled the room, overturned papers and bed sheets with the gusts he left in his wake, tried to get lost from their sight to surprise them from behind.

The plan seemed like a good one at the time, while he was attempting to execute it, until he went to swing his leg to connect with Riffle's neck – because regardless of how many there were, Kazu allowed his rather strong dislike of the speeding bullet take over. Wanted more than anything to rid himself of that ugly mug before anything else. But Riffle, in just another example of just how much skill and agility he had over the jet, was yet again, _faster_.

His mind raced with doubt and frustration and most of all incompetence as Riffle's hand shot out – like a damn bullet, of course – and captured a fierce and sudden grip on his throat. Saliva sprayed from Kazu's gaping mouth from the force and already spots were dotting his vision. Still he managed to swing his feet up and heel the other rider square in the face, allowing just enough slack to fall free from the chokehold.

An unexpected pair of arms found their way around Kazu's the very instant he was on his feet, holding him back with surprising strength while Riffle regained his footing and wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. Smears of red painted his skin and the eyes of the speeding bullet filled with fire.

When Riffle moved to close in on the blonde, Kazu lifted his feet again, this time as a defensive instinct. He shot his legs out in hopes of connecting somewhere that would buy him more time to think, but Riffle's reflexes were reasonably swift, and caught both ankles in either hand. From there Kazu writhed, feeling much like a worm on a hook, twisting left, jerking right, bucking upwards. There was no way he was going to let it end so fast.

"Don't wear yourself out," Riffle chuckled, overly amused. Body straining, Kazu allowed himself to fall limp in their hold to catch his breath. The short sign of surrender worked to his advantage as he felt their grips lighten just a fraction. It was enough, Kazu decided – it had to be – and he wrenched his arms and legs in all at once, hissing against the nails that raked across his skin when his arms pulled free.

He hit the floor hard and felt dizzy straight after. There was a shudder that started from the base of his spine and ended somehwere in his skull. Oddly, it's now of all times that Ikki refused to leave Kazu's mind. He was like a constant nagging _thing_ that wouldn't leave him be, even in the most inappropriate of times. Addicting as nicotine, dangerous and clinging as cancer. Clouding his mind like a thick fog. Like Ikki himself had a terrifying grip around his heart and was blessed with the ability to squeeze it enough to cause tension in his chest. Yet allowing just enough room for it to beat to live. That kind of control was grating and somehow comforting, but that tight sensation was making a scene right now, rattling his nerves and making the concept of concentration a thing of the past. Leave it to Ikki to deter his focus at a time when it was needed most.

His gut twisted. Ikki didn't want anything to _do_ with him at the moment. The very concept threatened to devour his very being from the inside.

Kazu bit his lower lip with too much force as he rolled away and jumped to his feet. The room was in constant motion and he'd lost sight of where everyone was. So he couldn't fully grasp what was happening when someone from some direction pummeled him harder into the ground than before because he'd been too dumb and too distracted to react fast enough, and soon he was eating carpet. His mind was racing and the room had grown suspiciously quiet, so he rolled onto his back to look up at his attacker, only to be slapped with surprise.

_...Iron?_

Kazu was just about ready to ask Sano what the hell he was thinking when the light glistened against the small metal dart now protruding from the side of the time keeper's neck.

Kazu wasn't stupid; Sano had just taken a shot aimed for him.

Things stilled. There was no more attacking, no more fighting. Kazu was slow to rise to his feet this time, never taking his eyes off of Sano. The older rider showed no signs of discomfort in his face but was already starting to sway where he stood. He eyed Mantis, arm held out and shielding the blonde in a protective manor Kazu wasn't totally comfortable with.

The air felt heavy. Kazu was sure he would be crushed under it any second.

"Well isn't this a charming sacrifice," Mantis mused, expertly twirling a second dart between his fingers. He eyed the punctured rider, then Kazu, and openly burned with something much like triumph.

Kazu wasn't giving Mantis much mind anymore though; he was too busy watching Sano quickly lose his composure. The other rider adjusted his glasses and took a step forward, only to stiffen and arch. His legs started to wobble, and something like Kazu's small hope of winning diminished. Iron's body was slowing at an alarming rate, which didn't sit well with Kazu at all because it was almost like he'd lost his god-like grip on time.

"Our own special recipe of muscle relaxant," Weaver kindly offered from the other side of the room, never taking his gaze off of Sano, finding too much pleasure in watching Kazu's last line of defense falter and eventually drop to his knees. "A little more useful than the average relaxant. It should last quite a while longer. More potent as well. Right now, you can hardly speak, can you?"

The tendrils on the contraption on his back started to retract and fold into themselves, like there was no more need to fight because they'd already won.

"Don't fight it," Mantis suggested when Sano's palms hit the ground to hold himself up. His face was twisted in determination but Kazu knew it was already over. The blonde tried to think; three against two, now turned into three against one. He couldn't leave the other rider and the odds were very much against him. Weaver formed his hand into a two fingered point, much like a gun, and aimed it at Kazu. Right between the eyes.

"Get him out of here. I'm going to have a little talk with this one before he takes his nap."

Kazu felt himself being pulled back and in reaction he jerked his elbow back, digging in good at Riffle's ribs. The guy was obviously very sensative there, seeing as it always gave him enough slack to get away. Using his speed as a weapon he dashed to the other side of the room, only becoming visible to the naked eye when he reappeared behind Mantis, fingers curled into a fist and arm craned back to strike. He wasn't going down without a fight. Maybe he could take care of all three of them and save the Iron Clock.

And maybe Ikki would dance in through the window on a white horse and claim he was sorry and Kazu was forgiven and all was good in the world.

Just as he swung, something parried his arm the instant before he made contact.

_Riffle_, Kazu's mind spat bitterly. Before he even made eye contact with his rival his knuckles were white and ready to crush bone.

He was in mid-turn, foot in rotation against the carpet. He had just enough time to see a slab of metal being swung right towards him, and not enough time to react. Blinding white stars exploded across his vision and a searing pain split straight across his temple. Soon after, his knees cracked and erupted in a stinging sensation when he crumpled to the ground, instinctively pressing a palm firmly to his skull as if applying pressure would stop it from pulsating. His head pounded so harshly it felt as if his eyes would be forced out of their sockets and the slightest noise would force his head to explode.

His attempt at words was nothing more than gurgles and groans, tongue unable to function and brains feeling scrambled. His ears were buzzing like hornets, white dots still popping in and out of his vision where and when they pleased.

When he pulled his hand away from his head and looked at it, blood was dribbling on and around his fingers all the way to his wrist. Distracted by the red smothering his hand he didn't realize it was starting to leak down his forehead until it seeped into his eye and made his head want to split, his stomach want to lurch. The world was tilting and whirring but even though he could hardly gather his wits, he was still able to spot Riffle. He would always be able to spot the bastard.

"I can't believe that didn't put you out," Riffle's grin – both cocky and irritated – was just as grating as ever. The hunk of metal that had so aggressively kissed his temple was still tightly gripped in the bullet's hands, poised like a baseball bat and ready for another swing.

What was happening to Sano? What was going to happen to them now? And Ikki… What about Ikki?

Riffle brought his weapon of choice down hard and Kazu felt hot agony blossom around his skull and neck instantly. There were splotches of red behind his eyelids before all sound vanished and everything turned to black.

_Ikki..._

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Idiot. Mikura Kazuma is a fucking _idiot_.

Ikki was grinding his teeth, gait still strong with irritation and anger – though whether he was actually angry with Kazu or himself, he didn't know. He _did _know that Kazu's timing was despicable and that there was still a light throbbing in his pants that would have to die away on its own. He knew that Kazu was tactless enough to choose to spill his guts at a time that didn't suit him at all, telling him things he'd been wanting to know all this time but wasn't quite ready to hear.

He'd even _told_ the guy he wasn't in the mood to hear it. Yet Kazu just kept going _on_ and _on_ and stirring things inside the crow that completely conflicted with his lust and hormones and...

..Of course, there _was_ that nagging, ever-present feeling that maybe, just maybe, he was at fault here. A slim chance he was the one to blame. And while in his defense his boyish needs were begging to be fulfilled and something so vital was too difficult for him to ignore… Kazu _had_. And he had done so because what he had to say was important.

The stuff Ikki had been losing sleep over.

It was right there, being desperately poured into his ear straight from Kazu's frantic mouth after all this time but it just wasn't fair! Because how the hell was he supposed to focus on those words when he was so turned on and Kazu was just so wet and vulnerable, slippery under his fingers and so very, very tauntingly resistant? The idiot just didn't get how much Ikki needed the comfort of contact, the understanding of silence, the pressure and warmth of a body reacting to his touch…

Well then… Where did that leave _Kazu_? What part of any of that fair to _Kazu_?

"Anghh!" Ikki grumbled loudly and suddenly, stopping in his tracks to slam his hand to his crinkled brow. Breaking into the bathroom when he was so obviously in need of time alone and probably sorting through his thoughts, coming onto him and ignoring the desperate confessions he'd been waiting on for what seemed like ages, storming off in a huff when his affections weren't being reciprocated, and still Kazu had tried to chase him down and get him to _listen_.

And here he'd told the other boy he didn't even want to see him.

Suddenly but really not so surprisingly, there was no more room for denial to even breathe. While the thought was a pain to settle on, it came fairly quick; the real idiot here was him. And no... no, he can't say that it was something he was used to.

Ikki swarmed his tongue around and played with the bad taste in his mouth, trying to work an apology towards his lips to have it ready when he returned home. Spew it out the second he saw the blonde again before pride and other things got the better of him and stopped him. That was of course, assuming Kazu would even give him the time of day.

He hadn't realized just how far he'd traveled until he actually turned around to retrace his steps. Near by stood a play area, occupied by only two people conversing by the swings. It captured his attention in spite of it seeming like a boring and self-deemed unimportant site, because he recognized the unmistakable pigtails of Ringo and the feminine track running curves of Emiri. Something in his throat was catching and he forced himself to look away. Whatever tension that had built up between him and Ringo was something he couldn't actually define. And while he and Emiri had no baggage or awkward feelings between them, the girl's mouth had become more like a weapon in the past few days, and Ikki was still suffering the blunt slap of her voice telling him that he was most certainly the target of his best friend's affections and he, in turn, so obviously loved him back.

Not that he was in too much place to deny that anymore, even if he wanted to fool anybody. But it was just the fact that she'd mentioned it in the first place; he didn't need anyone in his face about it right now. After all, girls had this way about being all high and mighty when they know you know they were right.

Besides all of that, the two seemed to be fairly deep into whatever they were discussing. Ringo was nodding here and there and Emiri's hands were motioning along with whatever she was saying. He was about to continue his trek home but Ringo's eyes blinked several times and then flickered over to him. Nothing too alarming; Ringo always had a strange radar planted in her system somewhere that told her whenever Ikki was near.

Emiri, obviously following the other girl's gaze, turned and spotted Ikki as well, face blank and staring before breaking into a gentle smile and offering a weak, only slightly meaningful wave.

_Damn_, Ikki thought as he raised an arm to wave back. He couldn't just keep walking now; they'd definitely take it up with him later.

He made his way towards the swing set, plopping himself down on the free swing and faking a yawn. Maybe if he acted like he was tired they wouldn't make much of a fuss when he opted to make a quick getaway.

Being ever curious and not really one to care about the privacy and sanctity of other people's conversations, Ikki kicked off the conversation himself.

"So what were you ladies talkin' about?"

"I don't think that's your place," Emiri piped up all too quickly. Ikki wasn't so sure he liked the person she had become, though at the same time it was an oddly appealing trait. He wasn't sure he wanted to know in the end anyway, not with the way Ringo's cheeks were turning red.

"Right, well, whatever," Ikki grumbled back, shoving his pinky finger into his ear to clear it out and show is indifference. That indifference, however, jumped into the arms of uneasiness when he felt Ringo's eyes on him. And it wasn't something awkward like a longing stare like he was used to. This was much more knowing and accusing.

"I know that face," she said with way too much ease. "What have you done this time?"

Ikki froze. So condescending.

"Nothing! What makes you think I did anything?"

Ringo smiled fondly, tips of her shoes poking at the dirt and forming semi-circles among the grains.

"Your shoulders tense and your walk is different. And you make it seem like you're paying attention when really," she continued, giving Ikki a light kick in the shin to make him look at her again, since his eyes had strayed off to the side somewhere, towards the distance. Towards his house. "You're not."

Honestly, he knew the girl was good at picking up on his vibes but surely he couldn't be so outright transparent. But she was staring at him, and Emiri joined her with a fold of her arms. It was like they were suddenly partners in crime or something. What the _hell_?

With a slight upturn of his lip that looked much more like a grimace, Ikki jittered his eyes back and forth between the two of them, feeling trapped. _Girls_. What a joke.

"I don't need this," Ikki blurted, taking it as his cue to leave. He had somewhere to be, and this was merely wasting his time. Stiffly he stood.

"Ikki."

Hating everything, hating himself, hating this morning and everything it meant for the rest of the day and maybe even longer, Ikki turned. But his dark eyes flicked upwards without any real reason, like they were tugged by some force he would never be able to understand, landing at the top of the swing set and settling at the acute angle of the poles, where a spider web glimmered in the light. His mouth hung ever so slightly open as he stared, brows sinking together and chest creating a strange thump from the inside.

He was startled when his phone rang from his back pocket. He didn't know why he felt so nervous, but it took him several tries to get a decent grasp of his phone before pulling it out. His chest tightened; what if it was Kazu?

One glance at the tiny screen disproved his guess; it was Onigiri. Ringo and Emiri were both standing now, looking as though they were considering trailing after the crow once he decided to move, so Ikki took the distraction and pressed the device to his ear.

"Yo."

"Shit, you answered."

"Whats going on?" Ikki shoved a hand in his pocket, feigning apathy and boredom and turning his back to the girls. He didn't like their eyes on him like that, burning holes straight through him and trying to figure him out.

"Buccha, Yayoi and myself were thinking of seeing a movie. We're at your place right now, but Ikki… Is everything cool? It looks..."

"It looks...?"

"I don't know how else to word it, so... It looks like someone's been inside."

His spine went stiff as a board, sweat seasoning the back of his neck. He looked with wide eyes to the side and then to the ground.

"What?"

"Well the front door was open a little and it looks like your windows been smashed to pieces."

Something in the crow was falling with incredible speed. He was home close to an hour ago and everything was fine. And Kazu was…

Phone pressed against his ear, gaze drawn back to the flawless web at the top of the swings, which was now holding a small insect hostage, Ikki didn't speak.

Ringo, Emiri and Onigiri's voices tried to reach him at the same time, too clueless and unimportant to understand the intensity of the gravity that was weighing Ikki too heavily to the ground.

"Ikki..."

"Ikki?"

"Ikki."

_Kazu._


	25. Incentive

**A/N: **Aha, long awaited, yes? So very, very sorry for the endless wait, guys. You have no idea how sorry I am, but I've been thinking about this fic almost like, every other day so it's not that I've forgotten or lost intrest. This block has been SERIOUSLY kicking my ass for a little over a year now, and I'm a little fed up.

Not much has changed as far as me thinking my writing is crap. This chapter may suffer a little more than others due to the long wait and the huge gap in writing. I'm taking two writing classes at school (Finally I'm back) and so it's been taking up some of my time and forcing me to squeeze what little creativity I have left out of the toothpaste bottle, and we all know how hard that can be sometimes.

Anyway, no real excuse other than a block really. I posted a new one shot that pretty much says what I'm about to say next, and that's that I have SUCH a massive appreciation for ALL of the readers/reviewers that have stuck around this long!!! I have so much respect for every last one of you that are still reading this thing, or even still reading my stuff in general. Your loyalty and support have done wonders and keep me coming back. The Air Gear fandom is still the friendliest and most supportive I've ever come across and I'm just so so sorry for taking so long!

So thank you! Thank you so much from the bottom of my little writer heart!

What else is there... Ah, just the usual speech about how I hate how this chapter turns out, mostly because I'm more or less forcing myself to update even though my writing hasn't pulled out of its slump still, yet, WILL IT EVER?

I don't know if its ffnet or my computer that's making my keyboard act all weird and skipping letters even though I type them... I hope its ffnet. (whine)

Mm what else is there? I really missed everyone. AND! I had trouble with the title thanks. Kitten helped me decide in the end, hur hur, but the title is Incentive (coz you can't read, right?) as in like... 'reason' or 'motvation' or.. GET IT DO YOU SEE WHAT I DID THERE? CUZ IKKI HAS REASON NOW TO... oh nvm. You guys are anything but stupid.

**Warning: **possible errors and typos and shit, mostly coz once again I'm fixing this all up and editing and post while I'm dead tired and the screen keeps blurring every five minutes XD ahah! Uhmmm, a bit of torture here but nothing really graphic.

**Disclaimer: **Not mine. They belong to Oh!Great, tho tbh I'm starting to question what that man is thinking. But IkkiKazu still FTW!

I hate it I hate it I hate it (stress stress)

**The biggest and bestest of my thank yous this time, readers/reviewers. Before I go into replies I just want you to know that I recognize every last one of you when you review, be you new or old, long time reader or new to the fandom. If you're still hanging around after so long you have my gratitude.**

**Thank you so much! You may not remember what you've written in your reviews but!!**

**Slifer: **Action sometimes gives me a world of trouble, although I like having it there coz I have trouble reading a long story if there is NO action at ALL. Thanks for the well wishes. Things are not perfect but they are much, much better than they were. Thank you for your support.

**SutekiKage: **Mahhh, I know they need to be together. I WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN! Thank you for taking the time to review, really.

**DL: **I'm so terribly sorry! It seems like I keep making you wait longer and longer for updates. Where and when is Komuricon? I've never heard of that one. (Interested)

**Kerrilea: **Thank you so much! The reuniting is coming! Eventually... Until then, let us watch the build up to that point, shall we? Thanks for reviewing, hun.

**Nobodies Have Hearts: **I bet Ikki is thinking the same thing, aha! I can't say I really enjoy writing Sano, at least not recently, but I like him as a character. He adds fun drama to things. I hope you're still around, hun. Thank you.

**KidAngel: **God I haven't talked to you in forever. I'm so sorry! Forgiveness please!?? Thanks so so much for the get well wishes, they really do mean something to me. You've always been very kind to me, and I hope this chapter still fits your fancy, even after that long gap.

**Cataclysmic Disaster: **I always have to take my time typing your name XD. That WAS a pretty weird coincidence, tho not unheard of! What would be REALLY weird is if it happened again this round. I'll try my best to fit in awkward sexual moments when and where I can in the future. Thank you for all of your support!

**geebabbie: **Aww thank you so much hun! The excitement has prolly died down for you by now but here's hoping that you're still around for this one.

**Flawless Beauti: **Gosh, thanks so much for the get better hugs. Your reviews are so sweet and nice, and thank you for the compliments, darling. Thank you thank you thank you for reviewing and for reading.

**lexicalsanctuary: **Jet fuel! How fitting. Glad it made you so happy and hyper (tho thats certainly helped along with your jet fuel) Point is you took the time to review and for that I'm so thankful!

**Sladinji: **Sorry, cliffhangers and me trying to stay on fairly good terms. I can't say the inspiration has been very... inspiring. But reviewers like you give me plenty reason to try regardless. Thank you for reviewing hun.

**ArrowAeroAir: **You are always hanging around my stuff and saying such wonderful things! I'm sorry I've been lacking in reviewing peoples things, including yours, but don't think I'm ignoring you. As always thank you for your awesome comments and for your constant support. I'm so glad I could give you something so enjoyable.

**PheonixShadow: **Good lord are you sweet or what? Your compliments are so nice and very appreciated. Sometimes fanfic tactics are nice to resort to when things get tight, but even while doing that you found nice things to say about it and for that I thank you very much! I had a great time at Otakon btw, thanks!

**Swendaii: **Don't worry, I sometimes still have a hard time believing people who don't know Air Gear come and read this shit story. God, thank you so much for your long and thoughtful review. You desect certain things and really tell me the tactics and methods of a chapter that you like and its so nice to read. So thank you!

**Gotyu: **Now you are someone I know for a fact to be hanging around here somewhere. You've been so unbelievably loyal to me, my fics, Kitten's art, Air Gear and all the way to things like Moukemono. I can't thank you enough for the support you've been giving me/us.

**slyswn28: **Thank you so very, very much! It feels good to be back, even though its a second or third return for me.

**SpitFirre: **Wow! Thanks! Yes, my beloved **_Kitten-chan_ **is one hell of an artist, isn't she!? I'm so pround... I'm glad she brought you around, you're such a wonderful reviewer! So many sweet things to say and I can only say thank you so much! Really, thank you! To be able to touch emotions like you say, its SUCH a compliment.

**BlackFlameRose: **lol I'm sorry, the lack of confidence has always come with the territory of me. But at least I still post things, yeah? You're another one thats been around for a while and you too, I appreciate every review you bother to send. Thanks so very much hun.

**Seiji-kun Chiaki-kun Eiji-kun: **Hah I'm getting better at typing that name. Sorry for the cliffhanger, but thank you for coming back to me anywayyyy (opens arms) It's so sweet you read the notes too. Thank you darling, for reviewing and reading. Means so much to me.

**TheaBlackthorn: **hah! My apologies. I don't think this chapters end is as bad tho. I had a fantastic time at Otakon, thank you!

**Forgetfull: **So many nice things to say! Thanks, as always, for the comments and for your time. Otakon was amazing! I go every year (or I try to anyway) so maybe if money is working for you next year we can meet up! That would be so awesome!

**blackkatt13: **There are more chapters NOW, love, aha! Thanks so hard for the compliments. I'm so so glad that you're that into the story, it makes an author feel really good about what she does. Thank's so much for your energy and support!

**dogcollar600: **Oh thanks hon! Sorry about not updating sooner, thought, but yessss, thank you for reviewing!

**Ikichi: **Ikichi, Ikichi... Still so fun to say. I find myself saying your name outloud whenever I get to it. I have pics of the YamaGoku cosplay if you're interested, lol, and **_Kitten-chan_ **has a few posted on her DA in comic form. So much fun. A Basil cosplay would be so awesome and cute you should totally do it! Oh and! ahah thanks for the review!

**Sleeping Willow: **So happy I could make you enjoy it so much darling! Worth the wait you say! Well I sure do hope so this round!

**mirielle: **I know its horrible to worry I'll lose people with my long waits for updating, but the way readers are always supporting me and this story regardless just blows me away every time! Your kind words and support are so needed and much appreciated, so thank you so very much.

**Sorcerer of Darkness: **It wasn't a fast update and I'm sorry! (sob) Oh gosh you're welcome I suppose! I didn't know I could do something like that for anyone, it makes me feel so awesome inside! It's a shame about that improving comment though, lol, I doubt not writing well for so long will make this chapter too great, but your support and encouragement will make me try!

**Koi Musouka: **LOL I accept all forms of review, spam or short or long, normal or spaztastic!! I don't find gushing to be annoying or anything, I find it absolutely flattering. Your review was so very kind and thought out and I thank you! I hope you keep reading.

**Peachi Bunni: **I DON'T KNOW WHY DID I DO THAT!? (disstress) lol good good you're supposed to hate the bad guys ahah! You seem so eager and I'm so glad, and also sorry for the wait of course. Thank you for reviewing hun!

**shoxxic: **Oh shoxxie darling I've been MISSING you! You are so amazingly sweet to jump around the lame ONE SIGNED REVIEW PER CHAPTER PLZKTNX just to continue reviewing for me. And what you have to say is always so nice and fun to read! I get to see more of shoxxic in the future, yes? Thanks SO much for the support you've been giving.

**Nightshade47: **Yay I'm back AGAIN! I always come back, block or no. Anyway your comments are something I'm very appreciative of. Not just the ones on FaS either, I mean. Thanks so much, really!

**xYellowCrayon-Chan: **I just want to say that I think you're very sweet to be willing to actually take the time to not only leave a wonderful, nice review, but to come back and leave a second one to add in an afterthought. You are too kind hun, thank you so very much!

**Highwalker13: **muhhhh, cliffhangers make people want to come back tho (whimper) Sorry for the long wait, really I am. Thanks for reading.

**Cold-Lover: **Oh thank you! That means so much to me! I love seeing new people wander into the fandom, the IkkiKazu ship is a wonderful one, with some of the nicest people you'll find! Thank you thank you, really, for your kind words.

**Crisstaei: **I love me good cliffhangers. IkkiKazu is such a sweet, imo canon pairing and there just is never enough of it. Thank you for the support, your shipping of the pairing is part of what keeps things like this alive.

**Masi: **long blubby reviews are long and blubby. Thank you for all the time and effort you take to put into your reviews, and for even reading in the first place when I myself have gotten so lazy and stiff and UNWRITABLY INSANE!!1! Thank you for all the mentions and dedications and patience, thank you so much.

**LadyKatt: **Aw thank you hun! I can't believe people read this whole thing, lol. It's so hard for me to fathom. Don't worry I have every intention of finishing this story to the very end. (heroic pose) Thank you!

**Sandy11-1990: **BahhHHHH I'm sorry for taking so long! Poor Kazu indeed, and poor readers for being left off on such a horrible note. I know its been forever but the update is here! Are you?

**beanstalk1019: **You re-read? I don't have the patience to read though most of my stuff that I write so HAH thats a really nice compliment. Side characters are in this story simply cuz they have to be, but lately I've been finding myself shrugging at the 'what about them's cuz really, this is a fic about Ikki and Kazu and the rest is going to be left up to the reader's imagination. Thanks for the awesome review!

**Endy-love: **Endy we need to chat again soon. I feel so much better after our last chat and I crave another. I think a phone call is in order soonish? I know you're around somewhere!

**Kitten: **Are you happy I updated? Are you caught up yet? Hmmm...? I don't want you to go back to Ireland (sob)

**Once again, thank you to every last person who reads this story and for those who keep coming back. Thank you so much!**

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**Air Gear**

_a fiction by Crimson Vixen_

**Incentive**

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If Ringo or Emiri had felt compelled to chase after him, he didn't know; Ikki didn't risk craning his neck to look behind him. His own frayed breath was like the thunderous fuel that kept him going, and he ran and burst through the front door – which was a bit easier to throw open than he would have liked – of the house that now felt like an abandoned piece of history. The door whined quickly and painfully for the split second it was swinging on the hinges before slamming disastrously into the wall.

He barreled through the house, heart tearing and careening in ten thousand different directions with every upturned piece of furniture he saw, and with every bit of evidence that showed there was indeed someone that had been in his house – that there had definitely been a fight of some sort. This did nothing to calm his nerves; not when no one was responding to him when he called out. Two, three times, and no one calling him back.

_No one_ in the house that Kazu was supposed to be in.

The crow was, however, struck hard with fear and somehow, relief (which as he found, was a rather unsettling thing to have mingling in his stomach), when he came stumbling into his bedroom and set eyes on a bulge slumped up against the far wall.

The first thing he focused on were the arms and legs, thinking, _maybe_, but the limbs were too long and too rounded to be Kazu's. A pair of glasses, cracked and bent, lay to the side and an oversized shirt clung to the body. The hair was a chocolate brown and Ikki knew who it was. He also knew then that something, someone, had been able to put the Iron Clock out of commission.

…To see the keeper of time sprawled and trodden and _unconscious _on his bedroom floor like that sent chills through his already cold body. His eyes jumped all over the place for anyone else that might have been around, or a clue – _something_. Torn sheets, broken glass, overturned furniture, blood splotches on the wall and over the carpet, everything… everything but Kazu, Kazu, fucking _Kazu_!

"Hey!" Ikki blurted, breaking himself out of his mental search before he lost it, and throwing himself at Sano's still unmoving body, nearly collapsing on top of him. The crow fisted his hands in to the battered fabric of the Time Keeper's shirt and gave him an uncertain shake. There's no way the guy could be dead, right?

Telling Sano to wake up, shaking him kindly to throttling the man around like a _thing_, it was all doing nothing. Sano's eyes remained heavily closed, his sleeping face neutral.

"Damn!" Ikki spat, keeping his hold on the older man but loosening his fingers a fraction. His legs were too shaken to move. Sano was hurt but alive – he could see his chest rising and falling after he'd taken the time to actually look. But Kazu was missing completely. And it was one thing for Ikki to feel threatened by something or someone, but to have someone just… _gone_ and having no idea where he was... was something he wasn't growing any feelings for anytime soon. To make it even worse, the last thing he'd told the idiot was that he didn't want to see his face.

Well no, no, wait. Just _wait_ a minute. Ikki allowed himself to breathe. Maybe Kazu wasn't actually missing. Maybe he never came to the house at all, and the attack on Sano was… just on Sano. Maybe Kazu wasn't even around when it happened.

For some reason, Ikki's throat started to burn.

He gave the room another look. A mess – an absolute disaster, and it couldn't have happened too long ago. He was gone less than an hour and no one else seemed to have beaten him to the scene. And what a scene; Ikki could hardly recognize the room as his own. Everything that had once been on a flat surface was now turned to its side. The floor was littered in everything imaginable, crunchy and crackly under anyone's step. A war zone.

But what churned Ikki's stomach the most, and he was doing his best to avoid looking at it but was failing horribly, were those ever-present blotches of blood sprayed across the wall. Just a little bit, nothing like people like him would see in a horror film. More like the splatter of a properly struck jaw. Either way, Ikki could hardly peel his eyes away.

It was all just so real. Right there in front of his face and staring at him. He was better than this though; so much better. Things like this weren't supposed to be intimidating to him. But Sano is dead weight in his arms and the place is a mess and he doesn't know what to do or who to call or where to look…

Giving the Iron Clock another shake and getting little response, Ikki's eyes gravitated back to what used to be his room. And while he'd thought he'd gotten a decent look of it all before, something different captured his eye this round.

Kazu's hat was always too easy to recognize – too stark in a room so cluttered, and too quick to register in Ikki's brain as something familiar.

Regretful to leave Sano's side but eager and fraught in his new discovery, Ikki scrambled to the knit cap abandoned on the other side of the room but in still in plain sight, as if he was meant to spot it. As he approached the said hat, he saw the cream colored paper torn and pinned to it, decorated with almost delicate writing. Dedicated to him.

He read it slowly at first, incising everything in his head; every word, every punctuation mark, even the way the thick ink soaked into the paper.

_'We'll be waiting.'_

Once he'd had his fill of the sickening read, his eyes flicked from Sano to the note, then to Sano again more times than he could count. The tiny piece of paper crumpled easily in his hand when he clenched it into a fist. His eyes could have blazed red for a moment – there was no way he would be able to see for himself but he at the very least felt the heat rise up to his ears – and Ikki bared his fangs.

"Wake up, pervert!"

His knees cracked painfully when he dropped to the floor and tightly gripped at Sano's boney shoulders. Ikki growled; this whole… not responding to him thing was _really_ starting to aggravate him. No clue, no riddle, just a stupid note telling him to they were waiting, and considering Sano was obviously here when _they_ were, the only logical explination he could think of was to wake the pervert up. The older rider was more than likely the key to finding Kazu's whereabouts, if anything, and it was a horrible and annoying place to start since the man _would! Not! _Open his fucking _eyes_!

"God!" Ikki threw blindly, well aware that his vocabulary was starting to escape him. His digits were still curled, now too stiff to actually uncurl, lost and suffocating inside Sano's shirt.

--

* * *

--

Emiri got a nice fistful of the back of Ringo's jacket before the girl got the chance to get too far, and she yanked back with an impressive amount of strength. Ringo's knees buckled underneath her and she wobbled as she turned to face Emiri, who was ready with an equally intense stare back. Ringo had, after all, gotten to be rather predictable.

"Don't," Emiri warned.

Ringo's mouth dropped open to speak but she was quick to shut it; Emiri was right. There was something serious and alarming about the expression Ikki had been wearing when he left; something urgent and annoyingly incomprehensible and she found herself just longing to understand and be a part of his world because _god_, it just felt like there was so much she was missing. But perhaps what was most frustrating was that somewhere inside, she knew she wasn't going to be able to.

Whatever it was that she had been hoping to be with Ikki, it was fading.

But, she realized as Emiri's fist tightened around her jacket to make sure she didn't lose her, perhaps she was blinded… She had been so busy chasing after him that she almost didn't see how far away he really was, lost in something _she_ wasn't even remotely close to. It didn't involve her. Ikki's problems weren't about her. His eyes were never on her.

Something made her lip tremble. She's seen it herself, hadn't she? The way he looked at him. At Kazu, Kazu, it was always Kazu these days. It was _Kazu_, Ikki and _Kazu_, him and _him_, they, _them_, together. Whenever she thought of Kazu she couldn't stop her mind from rushing to flashes of the blonde pressed into the cushions of the couch, only because Ikki was leaning over him.

What was the most _she'd_ ever gotten? A peck on the cheek…

As the frustration started to nibble at her stomach, Emiri moved her hands from Ringo's jacket to each shoulder, making sure they were facing each other because she could see Ringo receding into her thoughts. And when Ringo turned her head to the side, Emiri gripped her face, lowering her brows, aggravated.

"Stop sulking," the track runner ordered. She hated seeing her friend this way but at the same time, she'd lost someone too, so it wasn't like she didn't understand. But they couldn't spend the rest of their lives falling into depression over losing something they wanted but never actually had their hands on in the first place.

Ringo's eyes narrowed and her lip curled awkwardly, visibly offended. She angled her neck to look off into the distance, in the direction that Ikki had fled, squinting her eyes angrily as if she could still see him if she did it hard enough. Emiri wasn't letting up her hold on her shoulder, clutching a little harder even, to prove that she was intent on standing her ground.

Admittedly, Ringo's stubbornness was starting to take a toll on Emiri's patience. Ikki didn't really seem like the type of guy you pulled into a kiss and suddenly he was wooed into thinking he's made a mistake and he's with the wrong person because _they_ didn't kiss like _that_, and while she wasn't expecting Ringo to toss what feelings she had for Ikki out the window, she knew that _wanting_ Ikki to fall for her… wasn't going to make him fall for her.

Ringo wasn't paying her the attention she was asking for and so Emiri puffed out her cheeks and turned them red. She gave Ringo a quick nudge, forcing the girl's head to finally face her, angry brows knitted down and nose crinkled. Her lips opened to protest but Emiri was done listening to it.

She went on a whim, on instinct, on pure, idle, up to now unknown curiosity. Bold. Brave. Quick. They were the things that Kazu had taught her. They were the things that made her fall forward and steal a quick kiss.

Ringo might not be one of those people either; the ones that were swayed by things like a kiss. But it got her attention, anyway.

--

* * *

--

He scoffed.

Hours had past since he'd switched rooms and his bones were still aching. Ikki had known he was smaller than the Iron Clock and the guy was pretty thin, all things considered, but that apparently didn't make him any lighter.

Ikki was fairly certain Sano's head had bumped off a few walls on the way over too, or that his legs had gotten caught turning corners while dragging the older rider down the hallway and towards one of the girls' bedrooms. His room was in shambles and hurt just to look at, let alone to clean, and the other room didn't seem that far away. Not until he actually started to strain himself lifting the taller boy to get there.

But for as ungraceful as his efforts were, he'd reached the bed, not made but definitely not in pieces like his own. Annoyingly, and worrisomely, Sano had not stirred during the entire trip.

With a groan, Ikki managed to heave Sano onto the bed, rolling him towards the middle and looking left and right before hoisting the covers up to the time keeper's chest. Ducking his head close to Sano's he stared intently, trying to observe for any sign of life other than the steady small gusts of air that shot from his nostrils to show he was breathing. The twitch of a lash, maybe, or a flinch of the nose. When he got nothing Ikki brought his hand into play and flicked at the brunette's innocent temple, getting a very little sense of accomplishment when it resulted in a furrowed brow and nothing else.

At least he now knew that the guy wasn't _totally_ out of it.

Ikki pulled up a chair and propped it up next to the bed. As he sat he continued to stare, starting to feel the weight of stress and lament ambush him now that Sano was moved and the silence had a chance to show its ugly face. He wrang his hands; these weren't the kind of feelings he'd ever prepared himself for, or thought he'd have to.

He's the impatient type, really. Kind of having this thing for getting what he wanted when he wanted it. _Instant gratification_, Kazu had once smirked and told him. _Pure, selfish human nature._

Tch. Even missing in action, Kazu was ever present in his thoughts.

His nails found their way to his jeans, fingers curling and grabbing at his legs in agitation, or at least what he assumed was agitation. Why wasn't he waking up?

Ikki brought his hands to Sano's arm and poked rather harshly, watching the body in the bed jiggle and budge but still show no sign of actually waking up because of it. He tried again, hits instead, then again but harder. There was really no time for this, Ikki inwardly fumed. His best friend was out there somewhere with people he knew nothing about, save for the stuff Kazu had _tried_ to tell him only hours before, and while his attention span was retardedly stiff at the time, he'd heard enough to know that Sano needed to wake up soon so he could find the idiot and apologize.

Or find him anyway.

For a moment Ikki fell into thoughts he didn't want to mingle with. He didn't even know what these guys looked like or exactly what they wanted from him, or why they felt the need to pull a stunt like this. He didn't know what relationship they'd formed with Kazu in the past however long it's been and he didn't understand what part _he_ played in this. He also didn't understand why he'd been so slow with so many things. Slow with Kazu and slow to act on other, more personal things, sooner. He wondered what might be different if he had taken the time to follow Kazu when the jerk ran off or if he'd asked him harder questions. Or if he'd been more abrupt and direct, or at the very least, open an ear when the guy started to talk.

Ikki didn't much like having to learn lessons this way, or any way, because that usually meant that in some way shape or form, he had been wrong. He hated being wrong.

But Kazu was missing. Stolen, from right under his nose. And Ikki didn't just want to get him back, he wanted to get even.

With a renewed sense of purpose and rage, he stood from his chair and thwacked his palm to the side of Sano's face, _tired_ of waiting for the guy to sober up.

"Come on, perv, _wake_ up," he demanded fiercely, baring his teeth as if he could intimidate the man into listening to him. He thought for a mere second he saw a sign of life and used it as an open invitation to give it another go. Ikki slapped repeatedly at Sano's opposite cheek, tapping again and again until he was _sure_ he saw a split second grimace.

Suddenly the world was at a standstill when Sano finally, fucking _finally_, cracked his lids apart. It wasn't anything graceful or full of hope – his eyes were reddened and bloodshot. He looked like shit (hung over and exhausted would have been a lot more accurate but Ikki shook the thought away), and there was crust in the corners of his dark eyes. Words were lodged in Ikki's throat at first when he attempted to speak. _Figured_ they wouldn't come out when they were most important.

He coughed instead, trying to clear his throat from all the vexation that had been trying to smother his voice all day, and calmly said the time keeper's name. See if he was actually coherent before he said anything else. Sano blinked heavily and sluggishly, but was eventually able to focus his gaze onto Ikki's surprisingly needy face. Ikki knew by the look on Sano's face that he already understood the situation, but it didn't help him form his words any easier. Ikki felt his mouth opening to demand answers but no sound came, and his silence was rudely interrupted by Akito trotting into the room with extra pillows piled up in his tiny arms, and somehow, a glass of water.

He handed Sano the glass or water and helped the older rider to a sitting position while he placed the newly brought pillows behind him for back support. Ikki watched for about a minute, a look of total incredulity streaming off his face before shooting a hand out to grip Akito by the collar of his jacket, turning his little body around to face him.

"What do you think you're doing!?" he inquired briskly. It had been hours, though granted it had already felt like days had gone by, and as far as he'd known, no one else was home. He must have just gotten in and never said a fucking word abou it!

Akito's fingers rested at the bottom of his sheepish lips. What an awkward thing, Ikki thought, to meander on in and see the situation and see it fit to bring Sano pillows and water as if it solved everything. Maybe the runt didn't grasp the gravity of the situation…

It wasn't a slumber party or some shit like that; Ikki had spent the past few hours tapping his foot at the side of the bed, occasionally feeling tired when his thoughts took him over completely and resorting to folding his arms on the edge of the bed and tucking his head away in the curve of his elbow. He didn't dare leave Sano's side at the risk of missing when he woke. And every second that passed was another second that Kazu was gone. One more second that he was possibly in trouble.

Ikki can't recall every last thing that Kazu had attempted to tell him, but words like _kill_ stood out clear as day. And that thought stuck in his head in a way that stifled any clear thoughts he might have had, because it only takes one second to ask for information and one second to give it, but it also takes only one second to take a life, should anyone feel the need to.

The crow felt ill.

"I was just trying to help," Akito explained, looking up at Ikki innocently and honestly. Ikki bit the inside of his cheek; Akito really should have spoken up sooner that he'd come home. To be honest, he was getting a little tired of not knowing things. He set Akito down gently and shooed him off to the side.

"You want to help? Go sort through my room a little bit. And come get me if you see anything weird."

At first Akito pouted, jutting out a lower lip because he'd obviously been set on staying in the same room and 'helping' more. Keep Ikki company and all that. Though while the thought was actually rather appreciated and thoughtful, Ikki wasn't sure he was willing to let those little arms wrap around his waist from the side to 'comfort' him. Thankfully, Akito had reluctantly nodded and dragged his feet out of the room, wanting to be obedient but also trying to show just how disappointed he was that he was being ushered away.

Ikki held his breath and returned his eyes to Sano the very instant Akito was out of the room. His hand, clammy and warm, clutched at the Iron Clock's wrist and tugged. He was never one for much tact and he didn't see any reason to gain it now.

"Look I know you feel like shit but…" he started, trailing off so as he didn't have to actually say it. For some reason things that would normally roll off of his back were bothering him today.

Sano returned the look, not disagreeing that he felt (or looked) like shit, but also sympathetic with Ikki's urgency. But while Ikki had a lot of questions, he realized now that he hadn't considered where to actually start with them. Who were they? What did they want? What happened? _Where_ did he have to go? Why did they do this?

"Why didn't you do anything?" he grumbled darkly. His voice was low and he saw Sano blink at him, swallowing unfounded blame. Ikki didn't fully understand the situation, he knew that much, but he knew there were a couple of AT riders out there who had it out for him, and that they had their hands on one of his team members. He also knew that Sano was here when it happened. "Why didn't you stop them?"

At a time like this, Sano knew that fighting fire with adolescent fire was a dangerous route, but Ikki was letting guilt stab through his judgment and pointing accusing fingers wasn't going to get them anywhere, and it wasn't going to bring the jet back. Still… Still the Iron Clock couldn't help but feel defensive at the mercy of this fuming crow.

And besides, Ikki needed something to cool off that hot head of his.

"I think another question would be," he licked his dry lips. "Where were _you_?"

Sure enough, there was a very noticeable hesitation on Ikki's part, face dropping and shoulders slumping. He wasn't there; he was the reason Kazu had returned to the house in the first place. Ikki brought a hand to his face and gave a rough rub at his eyes and nose, scrub off what he could of his temper be fore sitting back down on the chair and facing Sano once again. He wasn't going to tell him he was sorry, but Sano knew this was the closest thing he was going to get to one.

Ikki fidgeted. Maybe they started off on the wrong foot.

"What can you tell me?"

There. Much more discreet than before.

Sano brought his hand to his forehead and spread his palm across it. Either his head was pounding from an injury or he was starting to feel the bruise form where Ikki had so carelessly smacked his head against the door frame on the way in. The older rider took a slow breath, thought a little, then let his hands rest at his sides.

"Grab yourself a pen and paper first."

--

* * *

--

When Mantis asked him if this was frustrating for him, Kazu didn't say anything but all he could think was _yes, yes, oh god yes_. Mantis nearly cooed at him, flicking a slender finger out to touch Kazu's cheek and make him flinch. Kazu struggled to keep his eyes from closing again; he'd been drifting in and out of consciousness and in the process, had lost track of just how long he'd been missing. Minutes or days; he just didn't know. All he knew was he was uncomfortable and sore, sporting an impressive headache and drowning in constant reminders of just how much he'd messed up. ..Mantis wasn't helping any.

"And to think this all could have been avoided if you were more careful."

Kazu thinned his lips, biting back the countless things he _could_ have said, wise enough to his predicament to know better and not seeking to complicate it more than he had to. He wasn't completely awake yet, was pretty sure he felt a concussion or at the very least a giant lump across his head, and knew that he was in no position to talk smack. _Yes_ of _course _it was frustrating – he didn't even know why he couldn't move his arms at all. Or why his feet felt so numb and loose.

If there was a little more light in the room maybe he could get a better grasp of where he was and have a better chance of finding a way out. He tried to blink himself into more awareness – it would definitely be a good place to start.

His thoughts burst abruptly when a fist embedded into his gut. The wind rushed out of his lungs and left him coughing hoarsely, hands instinctively trying to cover his mouth and finding, _frustratingly_, that he couldn't.

"Runt isn't even paying attention!" someone drawled. Kazu could identify Riffle's voice in his sleep. He can't see the guy, but he didn't have to, nor did he want to. A guy like that could get a real kick out of seeing someone like him struggling just to stay awake, nice and pretty and in their hands, but Kazu wasn't going to give Riffle the satisfaction of knowing he knew.

"Don't worry about that," Mantis assured, sounding only slightly agitated with Riffle's abrupt nature. "He's here, isn't he?"

"And if its any consolation to _you_, Riffle," Weaver piped in from the other side, and Kazu swallowed thickly. He was a little disoriented from hearing all their voices coming from different directions. Made him feel surrounded. Trapped. "You can do whatever you want with the kid. Just don't kill him."

How benevolent.

There was a moment where Kazu heard nothing, for a _split_ second thought that he'd gone deaf because god figured he wasn't suffering nearly enough already, but then there was the slap of Riffle's hand on Weaver's shoulder, like they were the best of chums now, like he had a sudden change of heart and was saying _hey yeah, you're right_.

"Now we're talkin'…" he grumbled happily. Kazu felt his mouth turning to sand because he was sure that the footfalls he heard fading into the distance were those of Weaver and Mantis heading out of the room, leaving him alone with the guy who hated him most, who he in turn hated just as much. No doubt Riffle's grin was smug, hands possibly propped triumphantly on his jagged hips. Or at least that was what Kazu was mentally picturing. He wasn't going to actually _look_ at him.

Not that it mattered in the next instant. He heard a rustling and lifted his head on pure instinct, only to feel something press against his lids and tighten at the back of his head. He felt the jab of Riffle's finger prodding at his newly wrapped blindfold, bruisingly so, right between the eyes.

"…You're such a coward," Kazu finally managed to croak, voicing his thoughts before thinking it through. Riffle's hand was quick to capture his chin in a vice grip, startling the blonde's blue eyes wide from behind the cloth. The bullet's unkempt fingernails dug into Kazu's skin and forced a grimace, but the boy refused to make a sound.

"Don't try an' rile me up," he warned bitterly, already pissed by being in the same room with the other speed rider. "It won't end well."

Kazu jerked his head to the side to remove the filthy hand from his face, earning a scratch along his cheek by doing so. He heard Riffle spit off to the side.

"You know, they said not to kill your ass but I don't ever remember hearing the boss say anything about you having to be alive when that guy comes," he pondered aloud, typically and predictably trying to scare him. Kazu refrained from taking the bait and kept his head turned to the side. Riffle's hand shot out, grabbed something that wasn't him and shook it, which in turn caused his body to sway.

Finally Kazu was able to understand he was dangling from the ceiling, arms pinned to his sides in an almost unbearably restraining grip, and his feet were made to feel useless only because they were dangling too. Tips of his shoes hovering just about the ground.

"Nothing to say?" Riffle pressed, pulling on the rope and swinging Kazu a little closer, until their foreheads were practically touching. "You're usually flappin' your trap by now."

Still, Kazu remained quiet, only enraging the other rider by the distinct lack of response. Brows dropped dangerously low, Riffle swung an uppercut to Kazu's unsuspecting jaw, throwing the blonde's head back and causing him to chomp on his tongue with the force. He grimaced and released a ragged breath, blood seeping through his once white teeth and over his quivering lips. But still, no real sound. Nothing.

It was a game he didn't want to play because he and Riffle both were the type that didn't like to back down. The speeding bullet was desperate for some kind of cry, some kind of audible sense of long awaited satisfaction that he was winning, so he snaked his hand into Kazu's golden locks and tugged the blonde's head back to get his attention. If that was how he wanted to play…

"Fine, then."

Kazu knew he was at a major disadvantage but he still had the sense to tighten his stomach before the punch he knew was coming hit. What he didn't expect was for the hits to keep coming – punch, kick, punch, uppercut, kick, left hook, elbow – and eventually his defenses diminished and he felt sick swinging and twirling from that rope, and he could no longer keep the painful sensations to himself.

With one particular hard hook to his side, Kazu spewed a wretched, sickly gasp, coughing. And Riffle stepped back.

"That's more like it…" he breathed, eyes still fuming but slowly starting to dim down now that he'd gotten a reaction. "I don't give a shit about what happens to you, you know. I mean all that matters in the end is that kid coming out of hiding, but..."

_Hiding_, Kazu inwardly jeered. Ikki wasn't hiding. _He_ had been hiding _Ikki_. Hiding Ikki because Ikki was too brash and too quick to jump into situations like this.

"And…" Kazu stopped to take in a slow breath. "And if he – "

"Don't try to pull a fast one on me. He'll come. You're like… his little girlfriend or something. Cute," Riffle shrugged bitterly and cleared his throat like the word tasted something awful, not catching the way Kazu's face twitched. "I mean you do kinda…"

Riffle reached out and snapped a finger against the blonde's temple, harder than Mantis' had been, then took a step back to give Kazu a good look over. Drooping head to dangling toe. Kazu couldn't see the stare, but he could feel it, and his shoulders squirmed awkwardly, biting at his lip.

"Don't worry, brat, I ain't like you," Riffle laughed playfully, a hint of disgust mixed in the undertone. He slipped his hand around Kazu's throat to give a good hard, quick squeeze before pushing him back, leaving him to swing to and fro. "I ain't no faggot."


	26. Significant Insignificance

**A/N: **Annghhh I'm so tired. I'm in the middle of mid-terms but the worst of it is over. I did my very best to get his chapter out quick! I only hope that I can keep that up.

This chapter is sort of a... hm, how to put this lightly... a "get things cleared up and out of the way" chapter. I really hate resorting to basic fanfic tactics sometimes, and by that I mean the old "well Imma just wrap everything up the best I can in one sitting" but hey, it has to be done. And I promise you that the next chapter starts all the fluff and stuff you've been waiting for since the start.

lol wouldn't I be such an ass if I just stopped updating right after this!?!? AHAH I wouldn't do that to you guys, though. I know how that feels. (Oh 'Forget Midgar', when will you ever update DX)

Mah, I can't wait to get my hands on my Tokyo Majin DVD'S tomorrow...

Not much to say this round. You guys are so nice to me about not being so hard on myself that today I am going to spare you the whining. I hope you enjoy, my loves.

**Disclaimer: **Do not belong to me. I think I die a little more on the inside every disclaimer I have to write.

**Warnings: **You're basic everyday use of language and yadda yadda. Grammar, yadda yadda. Gay, yadda yadda...

**As always, thank you so much to all of my reviewers. You guys really have no idea how welcoming and comfortable you make the Air Gear sections to write for. (_Imma try to keep these short-ish this time around. "Try"....)_**

**Sandy11-1990: **lol You sound so excited XD Thank you so much for your eagerness and for the review.

**Gotyu: **I can't believe you've been around for so long! As always I appreciate your compliments with all my heart.

**PheonixShadow: **Yess, feels good to BE back. So glad I could help rid you of those work worries. I've actually decided to keep the Ringo/Emiri thing on the fence. Leave it open for the readers to decide what they want with them for now. I hope your papers turn/turned out okay!

**TheaBlackthorn: **Well, messing up everyone's lives is one of the perks of being the writer, lol. Keep reading, love, thank you for the review.

**Slifer: **Thank you! Don't worry about short reviews, thank you for taking the time! I like to show that there are other characters, rather than just ignoring that they are there and need to be dealt with.

**KidAngel: **How are you, love? FaS likes waking up to YOU! I hope everything is alright with you (sorry I'm so dead around DA and Ygall) and of course, thank you loads for reviewing.

**SutekiKage: **LOL I believe most of this story results in 'poor kazu'

**Masi: **pfft, Masi, bulkin' up my review page XD I'm so sorry I haven't been reviewing lately, I will! Thank you as usual for your spazzing compliments and comments on characterization and the like, and for taking the time. ...We love beating up the boys.

**ArrowAeroAir: **Aww, thank you hun, thank you so much! lol well my writers block tends to be this thing that comes and goes frequently, but hopefully even with it I can still produce something readers will like.

**Seiji-kun Chiaki-kun Eiji-kun: **Blocks are the _worst_ aren't they? I'm so glad you feel so dedicated to finishing this story, that means a lot to me since it's been going on for quite some time now.

**zioh: **Well thank you hun!! I'll be doing my best, okay?

**Dubya See: **lol I dunno I get told I'm my worst crit sometimes. Or a lot of the time. I don't think writers are supposed to settle and like their work, how else can they get better? So glad you're enjoying, hun!

**Nightshade47: **Ahh, I try *really* hard not to make angst seem too over the top or overly depressing. I just try to make it as real sounding as I can when the time is right. You are so sweet to say those things, thank you so very, very much!

**mirielle: **I feel like rushing is a not really a lack of dedication, but an eagerness to update that can really mess with the quality of a story. Tho really, I'm just struggling here and there XD I'm glad we got to PMing each other, you're a very sweet person. Sorry I haven't gotten back to you yet.

**Flawless Beauti: **LOL your excitement is too much! Writing when you have a block is really hard, but when you have such wonderful reviewers you somehow find it in you to get it out anyway. Hating Riffle is good XD Thank you loads for your words.

**Endy: **I love it when you find the time to review because I feel really happy when you do. I love how you pick at little things and look at the big picture, makes me feel like you're really paying attention. Thanks so much Endy, for all your support.

**Kerrilea: **Thank you so much for all of your patience, then, it is very much appreciated. The AG fandom is full of such nice people! No more imagining dear, the next chapter is here! lol that ryhmed...

**geebabbie: **I really... REALLY wish I could have seen you doing that, lol! YOU dear, made MY *night* better by sharing that with me. XD Thanks so much for all the cheer and comments.

**forgetfull: **Oh no worries dear I have no intention of leaving FaS to dust. Thank you right back at you for being just as awesome, ok? You've been reviewing FaS for some time now and I want to thank you.

**AngeliqueIsDreaming: **Baw there is no sucking at reviews, dear, and yours was so wonderful! 3 days for all my crap chapters is pretty good! I'm super excited that this story makes you that happy, and giving REASON is one of my biggest nit picks. I get antsy when people don't give at least a small reason to pair people up.

**Sagri: **Hi dear, how are you? Don't you fret about me giving up on FaS. Sometimes things take up my time but FaS will see through to the end. For English not being your mother tongue, you sure are AMAZING at it, and amazing at giving great reviews. Your words meant a lot to me, so thank you!

**dogcollar600: **LOL probably! XD I really like that you have opinions of most of the characters at this point in the story, lol. Thanks muchly for the review, darling.

**minoki: **Thank you for checking back and for still reading! LOL I remember the first chapters too, they make me shiver at how horrible they were! I'll fix them someday. Thanks for the review and loyalty!

--

I hope I got everyone again. I'm really tired (I always am when I do this) so if I misspelled anyones name or accidentally skipped over someone, I'm very sorry.

Reviews have certainly lessened since I took that long gap to update, and I was so worried that a lot of people had given up on this story because of it, or lost interest. I am so, so happy to see that I still have a lot of my readers waiting for me and supporting me even when life slows down production a little.

I love and appreciate every last review that I get, and every reader I have, and I hope you guys can stick with me til the very end!

Thank you!

~C.V.

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* * *

--

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**Air Gear**

_a fiction by Crimson Vixen_

**Significant Insignificance**

--

--

* * *

--

Kazu now felt that he could readily admit that he no longer understood the logic of actions movies. He'd had time to think on it, after all; all the scenarios that could play out if Ikki even felt like coming to _get_ his ass, and finding little to no sense in any of them because _nothing_ ever played out like they did in the movies. Free time had given him the legroom to think about these things.

Why was it, anyway, that the hero always dove straight for ropes around the captive before anything else? No, no, Kazu shook his head ever so slightly at this, didn't have the energy to do it much more than he did. You should always go right for the gag first and foremost – not doing this is _crucial_ for avoiding a very common mistake. Because, and Kazu had taken the time to run through it enough times to know, if you save the gag for last, how is the victim ever supposed to warn the protagonist that it's a trap?

But there was something that Kazu _did_ understand and relate to. And that was how the hostage could be so impulsively quick to sacrifice themselves with a _'Forget about me! Do what you have to do!' _and risk their own life to save that of the guy that had originally been trying to save them. And while being a hostage makes you feel like a burden, there is always going to be some small part of you can't help wanting to _be_ saved.

But sacrificing yourself in the end was… so understandable. When you cared enough about the hero, it sounded so easy.

This wasn't the movies though. No, it felt way too real and he was way too sore for it to be. What they neglect to tell you in books and films is how _hard_ it actually is to announce you were willing to die for the hero that had taken the time to find you, because that too, had two very irritating flaws – or contradictory truths, if you will.

Kazu figured that he could try to be like those films if it ever boiled down to it – because his mind had been running images and circumstances all day – by telling Ikki to save himself. But if he did that, he was saying he was willing to give up things like touching, feeling, seeing… possibly ever kissing the boy ever again.

Selfish as it was, Kazu _did_ mind.

He wanted to be saved.

He wasn't going to snivel or beg for his life by any means, but he didn't want to die either. Ikki had told him that fearing death only meant you had something to live for. That only cowards were not afraid of it.

Action movies were stupid in so many ways. Of this, Kazu was certain.

He didn't know how much time had passed. He only knew that his joints were getting stiff and his skin was feeling raw, he was hungry and he decidedly _hated_ being blindfolded. Every once and a while he could hear things – sounds, voices, whatever – but he felt too disoriented, and sound bounced off the walls too much for him to ever grasp which direction it came from.

He hated that after all of his attempts at trying to protect Ikki, the idiot was going to burst in all on his own anyway. Talk about wasted efforts.

The door creaked open – and Kazu knew it was opening because he'd learned by now that the annoying whine of metal meant someone was coming or going – and Kazu felt himself stiffen. There was no way for him to know when he would be approached or touched so the blonde figured that being constantly ready for anything was the best he could do for himself.

The sound of feet shuffling on the ground came to an abrupt halt just in front of him, and Kazu blinked behind his blindfold. There was a chance he was already crazy and hearing things; he still had no idea how long he'd been there.

Despite prepping himself for contact Kazu was still startled when someone hit him open-palmed in the chest and pulled away with a fist full of his shirt. Kazu turned his head to the side, mouth twisted into a scowl.

"Why do you keep coming back?" the blonde snarled casually. He received a heavy shake for it. "You're wasting my time."

"_There's_ some big talk," Riffle grumbled crankily, pushing Kazu back and letting him swing for a moment. The bullet crossed his arms and stared the other rider down, feeling more and more disgusted as he did. This little runt sure was causing a big fuss. And he couldn't say he liked the swirling fits of hatred and rivalry he felt from just _looking_ at the kid. He hated that stupid face of his, and that stupid attitude as well… and those horrible legs that made the jet keep up with him in a race.

Why _did_ he keep coming back?

Riffle's eyes fell to the boy's dangling legs, and in his current flash of rage, swept a foot out to give them a good kick. Kazu was obviously not ready for a strike there and sucked in an audible breath. Empowered by the reaction, Riffle gave it another sharp kick, and then another, and another. Once he was satisfied, he gripped the blonde fiercely by the shoulders and squeezed. Kazu kept his scowl in place.

Kazu turned his head and glared, even though his eyes were hidden. Somehow, he was sure Riffle could feel it.

"Must be easy to fight when your opponent's a sitting duck."

"You got that right," the bullet bit, grabbing for Kazu's fingers on his right hand and giving a relentless squeeze before twisting them in a direction they both knew fingers were never meant to go. There was a sickening series of pops that made Kazu feel ill. He knew what broken fingers felt like and sounded like and this wasn't that feeling – they were being dislocated instead. There was no helping the short howl that ripped from his throat, and there was no mistaking the satisfied chuckle that dribbled from Riffle's grinning lips. He released the boy's hand and watched him aggressively nibble at his lower lip. He sneered. "Don't try to push my buttons, brat."

"Tch," Kazu spat quickly. Just like he'd said before, Riffle was just wasting his time. Kazu set his lips into a thin line, trying to show just how final his words were, and that he was through dealing with him for now. Riffle's ears burned; this kid was absolutely infuriating. How could this twerp harass him like this when he was blind and immobile? Harmless.

"Face it," Riffle finally said, turning his back to the blonde to leave. "You ain't got nothin' left. Not your boyfriend, not your life, not your dignity, and lets not forget about that little race we had."

The bullet walked with a sense of pride, feeling fairly content and boastful with his parting words. That is, right up until he actually reached the door; the second his hand wrapped around the knob, Kazu's sudden voice sliced through the thickness of the damp air like a siren, but quiet enough to confuse Riffle as to whether or not he was actually supposed to hear him.

"I would win, you know."

Riffle gave it his all to resist falling into the trap, but his ego was thrashing with it's claws exposed, ready to shred apart any indication that he was second best. Fingers fisted, temper successfully boiled, he turned. Kazu's neck was visibly straining to support the weight of his head. From behind the rag wrapped around his eyes he could see the creases on his forehead from a crumpled brow. His fingers were obviously agitating him.

"What was that, you little faggot?"

Kazu flinched at the word but kept his head raised.

"I would win," he repeated. "If we ever raced again."

Riffle jolted, unable to control his feet from flat out marching to Kazu to give the blonde a good hard punch to the right temple. And it was only after Kazu had gone quiet and he dangled lifelessly with his head fallen to his collarbone that Riffle was able to leave the room uninterrupted. He didn't know if Kazu was actually dead or _playing_ dead, or if he was just smacked into temporary submission, but either way, that just wasn't his problem.

--

* * *

--

_Shit, shit, shit!_

Ikki's lungs were on fire in a way he knew resting wouldn't mend. So he didn't. Ikki ran, _flew_, as fast as he was able to. Wind like a lion's roar in his ears, his own breathing was steady but difficult, and in his hand he tightly clutched a torn piece of paper that told him everything he needed. He hardly noticed the way the amount of people lessened as he dashed further through the streets. The atmosphere grew heavy and the stench grew stronger.

He caused gusts of wind to storm behind him in his wake, and Ikki couldn't say that he was upset or worried or panicked at the moment. If there was any one way to describe how he was feeling, it was enraged. He had finally confirmed that Kazu was an idiot and so was he. They'd let things play out for far too long and these were the consequences they were dealt with, but damn, if Ikki wasn't going to do whatever he could to beat those consequences into the next life.

After he'd gotten everything he needed, he'd left Sano in bed with a rushed thank you and a promise to 'not get dead'. The Iron Clock was suffering a chronic headache and stiff, aching limbs. Akito had attempted to latch onto him as he left but he'd kindly pried the boy off and shooed him to Sano's bed side and announced, demanded, that he was going to do this alone. And when Akito had expectantly protested, Ikki was gratified when Sano took the smaller rider by the shoulder and held him back, nodding at the crow to confirm that he would explain everything to him. And someone would be home soon enough to tend to both of them, Ikki knew, so he'd wasted no time making a beeline for the door and challenging the wind with his feet.

It already felt like it had been forever ago, but then again maybe that was just because Ikki felt like he wasn't going fast enough. What kind of shit did he and Kazu dive head first into, anyway? Why had Kazu kept it from him for so long? Shamelessly Ikki could admit there was something between him and Kazu now, though it wasn't anything he could put a name to, but he definitely saw it. Definitely felt it. And even though it hadn't gone too far past the awkward stage of experimenting and feeding hormones, there was much more to it. Kazu had been there from the very start, probably _would_ be there to the very end, so Ikki wasn't going to let the idiot flake out of it now just because of something like this.

To be perfectly honest Ikki had a hard time taking them seriously when Sano told him it was in a place as cliché as an old abandoned factory near water that hadn't been touched in years, with rusted metal and smoldering oils and the smell of burning fat in the drains. The area would more than likely be practically empty – a ghost town – save for the occasional suspicious hooded shadow that might speed walk past a moonlit lane, contemplating mugging him with a candy bar and taking his wallet that contained a whopping 6 yen and an old business card from the ramen place that he'd taken when he worked there.

Of course, he hadn't actually gotten there yet and those were all just things his mind supplied for him when he'd heard about what kind of place it was. There was really no telling what he could hope or not hope to expect, just that he had to watch his back and his front and his peripherals while he was there, not to let his gaurd down because of the way things looked, and to focus on his objective and not get side tracked.

Sano had told him to get in, get _him_, and get out. Don't be a hero.

But obviously Sano didn't take into consideration that sometimes, heroes are called heroes because they have to be, not because they choose to be.

--

* * *

--

Sano tried to be understanding. _Tried_ to be, and thought he was succeeding at it pretty well, but that didn't mean that he want to have to do it.

Not too long after Ikki had left, the patch had been somehow switched without his knowing and Sano's headache was pounding now that Agito was dropping profanities left and right. Why the fuck did he have to deal with this shit? What the hell did Akito even see in that idiot? What kind of moron runs off to do something like that all by themselves? Why was that beanpole stupid enough to get caught in the first place anyway?

Agito's eye jolted every which direction, trying to direct his anger in one particular spot and furious that he had to deal with the way Akito was inwardly pining to chase after the Crow.

To avoid any damage, Sano reached a hand out and cupped it heavily on Agito's shoulder and pulled him back until his spine hit the edge of the bed. There was resistance at first, until Sano reached around the smaller rider and slipped a thumb under the white cloth patch and slid it to the other side.

The tenseness in the Shark's shoulders lessened and the struggling ceased. Sano slowly let his arms drop to his sides to let them rest, and watched as Akito turned around and looked up to him.

"You good now?"

Akito thinned his lips and pulled himself up to the bed, careful of Sano's still stiff body and sitting just next to the brunette. He wrapped his thin arms around the Time Keepers and gave a light tug.

"We should go after him," he pleaded, not wanting to go alone. Sano shook his head and pulled his arm free.

"Something tells me he wouldn't be too happy about that," he muttered. Not quietly enough, it seemed, since Akito blinked wildly and reach out to regain hold of his arm.

"We need to help!"

"No, actually, we don't."

And when Akito only stared at him with questioning eyes, Sano released a tired sigh and inwardly prepped himself to explain. He didn't have any kids of his own, so it wasn't like he knew how to tell them these kinds of things. Things like people needing to go out and do things without the help of friends because it's so self inflicted and personal that a person can feel like they _have _to do it by themselves. Surely Agito would understand those kinds of reasonings - not fully agree with it, but still understand it - but Akito was another matter entirely.

Not that he was worried about the Crow, either.

--

* * *

--

Onigiri's pinky was the happiest pinky on the face of the planet. At least, this was how he felt. He tightened the digit and felt Yayoi tighten her own pinky around his in response. Every now and again they would pull in attempt to keep each other balanced, because it was fairly difficult to stay sitting upright on shoulders as bulky and bumpy as Buccha's.

The Tank moved at a steady, average pace, keeping a watchful eye on where he was going. Avoiding low branches and the like, taking sharp turns slowly, and providing his two passengers with a refreshing breeze instead of a bullying, voice overpowering wind.

He felt only slightly uneven, what with Onigiri's bulk settling on his left shoulder and Yayoi's much lighter, hardly even there weight on his right. Occasionally he'd feel their interlocked hands bump slightly into the back of his head but he can't say that he minded. He'd readily told them he'd ride them around on their date, after all; an oversized limo to wherever they desired.

Not like he had anything else to do.

First it was picking Yayoi up from her place, then dinner at Onigiri's dad's ramen shop, and now they were heading to the park. Buccha was their escort of course, since Onigiri and his girl had decided that they were going to take a day out without AT's. Buccha wondered sometimes if Onigiri tried too hard, acted too strongly, but Yayoi seemed to buy into him every time, and she seemed genuinely interested, which was nice. Buccha thought they looked good together, anyway.

He also couldn't help noticing how comfortable their sporadic silence was, like the two were already content with company alone. And when they did talk, it was full of variety, from best friends to dreams to the time they first met to the time they started dating, to their agreed opinions on the Ikki-Ringo-Kazu-Emiri development. This, Buccha found to be rather intriguing. He would curiously start listening whenever he heard any of the names being dropped, finding it rather hard in the first place to avoid overhearing such conversation from being so close to the source of gossip, and would sometimes give his two cents in the topic. It was interesting though, wasn't it? And both Onigiri and Yayoi seemed to share thoughts that mirrored each others and to Buccha's own.

It went a little something like this: Emiri is changing, Ringo is learning the hard way, Ikki is wising up, Kazu is getting what he deserves. Ringo is hurting but her and Emiri are relating. And Ikki is honest with himself now and Kazu is getting the attention he'd been denied by the crow in the past. The boys are curious and the girls are coping. All of them have support from at least one direction or one other person, every one of them is confused and one of them is in slight denial but everyone's feelings were obvious to everyone but themselves until just recently.

As Buccha carefully took the next corner, his thoughts nestled into the idea. The three of them – Onigiri, Yayoi and himself – had to ultimately agreed in the end, that in retrospect, it was a story that had started to evolve way before anyone one of them could see it. Perhaps the very moment Ikki and Kazu met, or maybe the instant Ikki felt inspired to become what he wants to become, or maybe – and of course the thought was silly but it was still an option! – it was something as simple as providence.

--

* * *

--

Ringo pressed her back further into the wall, the concrete beneath her creating a chill to her thighs. Emiri was next to her in a similar sitting position, close enough to be seen as a friend but far enough away to seem like nothing more than that. Ringo very often found her eyes traveling to her knees, finding them to be suddenly very intricate when she didn't want to look elsewhere.

It was getting late. Not dark, but the sun and the moon were cautiously sharing the same sky, and every time Ringo looked up, the sun was inching closer and closer to the horizon as if it were intimidated. She could feel Emiri looking up to it as well, mostly because she didn't feel the burn of someone staring at _her _from the side.

Her lips tingled, still allowing time to lessen the electrical currents still trying to surge through them. Was it really just to grab her attention? To shut her up? Certainly it had calmed her down but…

Ringo finally forced her head to turn, finding Emiri was indeed looking heavenwards with a slight, reminiscent smile curving her mouth. Then she saw the girl bring her arm up so quickly it startled her, and extend it to its full length. Her hand curved, fingers curled, and she stayed like that for a moment, one eye squint shut to help her aim.

Blinking, Ringo followed the line of her arm and saw the moon, far away and surrounded by space and clouds and other things they couldn't actually reach, and yet at the same time still trapped between Emiri's practiced fingers. There was a slight look of longing in her expression, still not fully over the blonde that had taken so much of her thoughts for so long. Still hurting a little, but doing what she truly felt was right.

Ringo stared for a moment, feeling her curiosity bubble beyond her control. She'd seen Kazu do it on a few instances, and some of their friends knew about the small trait, but she'd never actually looked into it herself.

But Emiri was fondly holding the pose and Ringo more so now than ever wanted to experience it. Silently she held her arm out and slowly, very tenderly, took the moon between her pointer and thumb, almost like she could scare it away if she moved too fast or pulverize it to dust should she apply too much of the slightest pressure.

And Ringo looked, almost awed at how tiny it felt, weighted only with the common knowledge of how enormous it actually was, and this is what lead her to understand; how herself and everything around her was so small. It made a girl feel significantly insignificant under all those pretty colors and lights.

She wasn't sure what it was she suddenly felt she understood, but it gave her a strange sense of relief. She dropped her hand to her lap about the same time that Emiri did, and they finally looked at one another in acknowledgement.

It wasn't that she felt irrelevant to Ikki, per se. If she took the time to be brutally honest with herself, there would be no doubt she meant something to the crow. Even if she had been wanting so much more, she at the very least _had_ him in her life. And maybe it didn't mean being pegged as insignificant, but rather, just a piece in something much, much bigger.

Not that it still didn't hurt.

Revealing thoughts like that were never easy to cope with. Especially, Ringo thought, when it was about something as fragile as feelings, like love.

Maybe she was just too much of a girl in that sense. Too wrapped up in ideas of love and fate and romance. In retrospect it didn't seem like the set of goals for most teenaged _boys_. And surely Kazu never asked the crow to romance _him_, or be sensitive and gentle or do something like you see in the movies in a place where people can see them. Probably never asked him _why do you love me _or spewed his feelings and try to force feed them to the boy. And Ringo could honestly say that she couldn't picture Kazu as the type to get upset over things like not holding hands or forgetting a date. No standards or expectations. Just respect and feelings and friendship.

Like they just… _were_.

And, oddly, being so unromantic like that… seemed romantic.

"Ringo?"

"Ah! Yes?" the girl jumped, slightly appreciative of the interruption on her thoughts before they strayed into places she would never be able to get out of.

"I didn't… When I… I mean I hope that wasn't–"

"It's fine, really," Ringo offered, surprising herself with the honesty of it. The air felt still and only slightly less awkward than it was before. Her lips were still waning the bolts of Emiri's touch. It was a feeling that was difficult to handle and hard to understand and although it wasn't what they were aiming for, it was also very unromantic.

Somehow, Ringo felt okay with that.

--

* * *

--

Ikki could remember a time – though grossly, it was many times – where he'd brutally ignored Kazu in the past. The blonde's loyalty had been on a constant high for as long as he could dare to remember, and Ikki could now admit that he'd gotten so used to it being there, so _sure_ that it would always exist, that he'd often overlooked it. He could recall at one point, right around the time that Akito had first shown up and started hanging around, he had given his teammates numbers and ranks. He couldn't remember the exact number he'd given to Kazu, but he _did_ remember that it wasn't a well deserved 2.

He also remembered the times he'd built up his confidence. Being positive Kazu could win his first real race as a storm rider (and being shocked someone as fast as Kazu would even feel inferior in the first place) or even more recently, tossing cans for the guy to catch for practice purposes, among other things. Things that easily could have been overlooked but through all of Kazu's mutterings Ikki could see the appreciation shining just underneath. He could still hear something Kazu'd said to him at one point: "Don't build me up just so I can fall, Ikki."

To which he had given him a good shove to the shoulder for.

Then, vividly, and somewhat randomly, Ikki could effortlessly remember pressing Kazu's shape deep into the couch cushions and tasting things he, up until then, never knew a boy could taste like. He could still feel the shock of guiltless shame and awkward comfort. And even though he'd already known the color, Ikki always thought about how blue Kazu's eyes looked whenever he threw him to a wall or dropped him to a bed and devoured the space between them.

He hoped that as his mind started to drift to other things, his speed wasn't suffering for it, but Ikki fell quickly back into thoughts of Kazu's skin, fresh and soft, warm and addicting, his hair like golden feathers, his voice like a savior amidst an ear cracking war, and a body so willing and accepting. Trusting.

Little, seemingly insignificant things at a first glance, that Ikki felt were still important things to know.

Ikki briefly listened to the melodic whine of his AT's against the pavement to see if he'd lost time by losing himself to his perverted and fond thoughts, only to find that his speed had actually increased. Shamelessly, it could have been lust driven, but motivation and logic were strong and the burn on his legs screamed at him _guilt, regret, worry, need_!

He knew where he was going by now. He'd looked at the wrinkled and abused scrap of paper enough times to memorize, no, _engrave_ it into his brain. Sculpted flawlessly into his mind as much as the angles of Kazu's face, the hunch of his shoulders, the wall of his insecurities or the air to his words. And for a moment Ikki wondered when the _hell_ he started thinking about shit like that in such a retarded, mushy light, and why the hell it'd come to him so simply. He blamed it on the thick layer of concern that was wrapping around him and downright refusing to let him go.

Ikki violently shook his head. Either way, the point was, Kazu had always been there, and he'd never _not_ be there. And today, the only reason he wasn't around was because of something he'd undoubtedly caused. Ikki only wished that he could go even faster than he was, so that there would still be someone to save by the time he got there, because he didn't want to be coming back lugging heavy weight in his arms; after all the body of a boy is at its heaviest when its dead.

Ikki figured the only way to really remedy the entire mess was, of course, to get him back and hope that it would, inevitably, restore order.

His thoughts must have distracted him long enough, however, to make him lose track of time and distance, because soon he had to force himself into a screeching halt that almost made him topple over completely.

The moon had finally overcome the sun and was sitting proudly among its throne in the deep, endless abyss of the sky, staring down at Ikki accusingly as if trying to anticipate his next move, while the crow himself straightened his back and stood tall and finally released the paper from his hand. The scrap was defenseless against the wind and went careening out of control into the hopeless darkness of the night, never to be handled so vitally ever again, and Ikki felt and heard himself breath from his nose. He resisted the powerful urge to go recklessly barreling through the front doors with a self-made battle cry and instead eyed the place up and down, finding it impressive but not _that_ impressive; a little cliché, really, as expected, and only being able to conclude that he hated this place because somewhere deep inside its belly was Kazu, but the important thing was this...

He had finally arrived.


	27. Reclamation

**A/N: **I have some news to share with you that is both exciting and depressing for me. Today, November 8th, 2009, is **Folly and Sin**'s birthday. Three years old.

Yey.

At first I was all 'oh hell yeah, still kicking!' before I realized wow, 20some chapters in three years is... really bad. I didn't realize how freaking slow I am. I'm really sorry guys, that I've taken so long to get this far, but it's also made me appreciate you all even **more **than before!

I guess that year-long block really did a toll on poor FaS.f

So thank you, seriously thank you from the bottom of my heart to the readers and reviewers that are still with me. I'm going to try my best to make sure Folly and Sin is finished WAY before the four year mark.

But yessss, Some of you have been around those whole three years and I have to say, WOW! Thank you all so much!

But yes.

I had a really hard time with this chapter. I was actually cringing, wondering if I've messed up and made this chapter slightly OOC. Good lord I hope not, but writing this one sure gave me trouble cuz I wasn't sure. But the end result is here, and I hope you guys can still enjoy it. Maybe it's just all in my head XD

As always, excuse spelling errors and grammar issues - if they bother you enough just let me know in a review and I'll fix it up, okay? But only if you're nice about it. Nobody likes a flamer Dx

Ohhhh this chapter is longer XD yay for that!

But a word of warning! The next chapter is giving me trouble...

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--

**Disclaimer: **Do not own. Fuck.

**Warning: **POSSIBLE OOCness (not intentional. The warning is just to cover my sorry ass), among the usual stuff. Do you guys even read the warnings anymore?

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**As per usual, my thank yous go out to:**

**ArrowAeroAir: **I really enjoy leaving people on cliffhangers for some reason. You are always so quick to review and for that I am very grateful, dear. I'm so glad you liked that description of the moon because I really enjoyed writing that. And! I'm still really thinking about doing a Tokyo Majin fic, I just love that series!

**TheaBlackthorn: **Sometimes I have to jump POV, depending, to keep moving. And I think for some stories it just works out better. So happy to hear it worked for the last chapter. Thank you for sticking around for so long, love.

**Swendaii: **Yeah sorry! My update intervals never really seem to settle on a set pattern. They get done when they get done. I am getting the feeling you enjoy Kazu being Riffle's little punching bag XD Thanks so much for the review, hun, as always.

**Sandy11 - 1990: **LOL Your review has so much life and energy to it! XD Almost makes me excited to and I know what happens! We all love it when the hero comes in to save the day, and we all love Ikki to, so, it works! Thanks for the review!

**Gotyu: **Hi hun, thrilled to see you still hanging around. I hate doing 'wrap up' chapters but the story had gotten so far in alread that it had to be done. So I'm glad to see it worked out well in the end. Thanks as always dear for your time and reviews.

**Slifer: **Thank you! I kinda felt bad for neglecting the side characters for so long but it also felt good to get them taken care of in the last chapter so we could really just focus on Ikki and Kazu. And thank you! For noticing the calm vs urgency contrast!

**Payce99: **Thank you so much, dear. I hope you didn't feel like you had to wait too long for an update, and I'll keep doing my best!

**Nightshade47: **Oh, well thank you very much, darling. Cliffhangers are both a good and an evil, I think, depending on which side you're on. I'm so happy to see that a wrap up chapter was still up to par with others. Thank you for reading and reviewing hun.

**geebabbie: **Ehehee! I hope I got this right tho! I'm sooo nervous that I got this chapter ooc so I hope it still matches up to standards that you are hoping for. Don't worry! I didn't forget about people, I just.... muhhh, got so caught up in Ikki and Kazu, eheh! XD

**SpitFirre: **Oh my gosh. I think that is one of the nicest reviews I've gotten yet. I am just SO flattered by you. To hear that I can paint pictures for you, and transfer characters feelings and emotions to you as a reader is SUCH a compliment, and a very large accomplishment for a wanna-be writer like myself! I cannot thank you enough for your kind words and the time you took to tell me those things. So thank you SO very much dear, I will take it to heart.

**CRdreamer: **Mah, thank you thank you thank you! LOL I myself found the OnigiriYayoi pairing to be kinda odd but then I gave it a spin and it somehow makes some sense. Weird, huh? I saw Ikki as the type to want to brave something like this on his own, blinded by rage and the like and not wanting to danger others, and it would be nicer for readers to have just Ikki there with Kazu, with no one else to get in the way. Cliche's are hard to avoid sometimes I'm afraid, but sometimes they work!

**Blizzy: **I adore you. I really do. You have SUCH a wonderful way of mixing flattering with well thought out critique, and for that I thank you. You are never mean or ill intentioned when you speak your mind to me, and in the end, your advice slowly molds me into a better writer. After reading your review and reading my chapter over, I saw the POV jumping that you mentioned, and maybe that's why it felt so off to me. Thank you for pointing that out, love. I'll try to be more aware. And I very much agree with you on the 'cliche' note, and I'm actually REALLY glad you noticed! It's a technique I use when I realize I'm using something I don't really like. Using a cliche? Why not SAY so? Thank you for all the kind words and meaningful crit, love. Lol and as far as Sano goes, I'm guilty! He's just kinda there. ...ahem. If there are anymore cliches coming up, I'll be sure to call on them! Whew, sorry for the long reply!

**Sagri: **It's ok hun! As always I am just happy that you took the time to review so thank you! Things may seem like they are getting close to the end but keep your spirits up, there are still a few chapters left to go! And an Epilogue, heh. Thanks again hun.

**xYellowCrayon-Chan: **lol I've been seeing your name pop up a few times in my email, so I know you're around. Good to hear everyone's segment worked for you, cuz I was worried about that. Thank you! And I really wanted to give the readers a view of Emiri and Ringo that leaves it very open for whatever they want it to be between then, but still make it clear that she's going to slowly settle into the fact that Ikki just isn't into her. Lol And I really enjoy writing Ikki. Fluff in this chapter in small doses, anyway, but hopefully still worth your time.

**Crisstaei: **Aww thank you dear! I love building tension and then stopping short to create a cliffhanger. But what could be better than breaking that tension and giving a climax, eh? Keep reading, and keep squealing, and thank you for taking the time to review!

**PheonixShadow: **Yup! My updates are all over the place.. You came back from Japan! You're so lucky! Glad I could help in your homecoming XD I like leaving certain things open for interpretation, if its not too close to the main plot. tbh I've considered some Sano/Akito paring work, but in the end I could only see it as being purely friendship. Akito is too easy XD Sano needs a challange! Thank you so much for the comments and review, I hope you stick around.

**Dubya See: **Your icon is adorable XD Yeah, I'm pretty epic in being harsh on myself and my work, but at least the readers still seem to like it in the end. I can't BELIEVE you deleted that much work!!! But it's a true sign of a writer I think, that you were able to let go of so much because it wasn't 'good enough' in your eyes. I hate basic fanfic tactics XD lol but sometimes they can be a real life savor. Thank you so much hun, for the review.

**Jess: **Thank you hun, lol. I'll try my best to keep them coming as steadily as I can.

**dogcollar600: **Yup! Ikki is on his way! I really adore writing Ikki for some reason. But sometimes (like thisi chapter) it's just hard... lol but anyway thank you for the review, hun, I hope you keep reading!

**Rufux: **Thank you! I'm glad you think so.

**Ikichi: **holycrapwhat? lol don't worry about the reviews hun! I know you read. Glad to hear you're all caught up and even happier to hear you've settled in to read FaS afterwards. I can't say much for ass kicking in this chapter, but idk, read and see if it still works for you. Thank you hun.

**Forgetfull: **Ouu thanks! Aha I guess the cliffhangers work! I wish I could say there wasn't another one at the end of this one but umm... yeahhh... The fic is finally getting to the parts people have been waiting for I think, so it's a shame my long absence has halved the reader count. Ah well, glad to see you still hanging around hun, and thank you as always for your reviews.

**rockingphillip: **Thank you dear, I have every intention to finish.

**Paradoxismminant: **I see that you're jumping through the chapters and reviewing little by little. That's very kind of you to take the time to send a little comment after most of the chapters, thank you! I also noticed some comments and comparisons to the manga, but keep in mind that I mentioned in some A/N's and the opening notes that this story is based off of the anime, not the manga. lol I thought ahead and knew that if I based it off the manga, things would conflict over time XD

**Endy/Masi: **I don't want to hear a single peep of anything remotely close to an apology for not reading. I know what your lives are like and do not, I repeat, do not worry about it. You two are some of my biggest supporters so thank you.

**Kitten-chan: **Good lord I miss you. get your internet back plz.

I hope I didn't miss anybody.

Right, so, of course, thank you to every last one of you, for staying around for so long.

Thank you so much.

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**Air Gear**

_a fiction by Crimson Vixen_

**Reclamation**

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Kazu had always felt, or had always known rather, that if you got too close to the sun, you'd get burnt. So he also knew that aiming for the top was a lot like playing with fire. Yet Ikki's hands seemed to be so accustomed to the heat that he barely felt any pain when he reached higher altitudes. And meanwhile, Kazu had to squint and look away and cup his hands over his eyes just from attempting to _look_ at the sun.

It was all very unfair, but all very just.

This was just one of the many thoughts that found their way in and out of Kazu's head. He had so much time on his numbing hands that he was thinking too hard and too long about too many things.

Riffle's frequent visits were not doing him any good, either. It was like the bullet couldn't make up his mind on coming or going, staying or leaving. Like he wanted to come and tell Kazu he hated him but would get fed up and leave, only to come back a while later to tell him again. And in their latest confrontation, Riffle had the biggest of grins on his face, announcing that he finally had consent to do whatever he wanted with him, just so long as he didn't kill him. That part was only slightly frustrating for the bullet since he'd been nearly dreaming of ending the blonde's hummingbird pulse once and for all, and was excited at the concept of having bait that didn't need to be squirming on the end of its hook in order to catch its prey. But surely, Riffle would take whatever leniency he could get his grubby hands on.

Kazu could still feel the sting of where the blade had bit into his arm and his chest from Riffle's last visit, the nicks to his calves and the nip on his shoulder. He could still feel the light breeze where his clothes had been slashed, the pounding aches of where knuckles had landed, and the slow creeping feeling that soon he would be succumbing to sleep. He must have looked an absolute wreck, he was sure. He certainly felt like one.

The emptiness of the room started to nibble away at him, the cold gently cooing him to close his heavy lids and rest while he could. The insight was so very appealing, and Kazu's head felt too heavy to lift anymore anyway. He felt too sore and too chilled to do much else, and he finally, _finally_, caved and closed his eyes, listening to and ignoring the steady pound of his head and the hoarse screaming of his logic telling him to stay awake.

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Even while being compelled with things like urgency and impatience, Ikki was cautious when he peeled the front door open, silently thanking the old piece of junk for being so soundless before stepping in. The inside was dark and icy and only half like he expected it to be. Entryways were plentiful, though, making the place seem like a maze already, and Ikki hated being confronted with so many options, especially when he didn't feel like losing any time.

Instinct he never possessed told him to go straight, and he obeyed, sliding his eyes left and right whenever he passed a doorway to catch a peek just in case something caught his attention and he changed his mind on where he wanted to go. The sound of his footsteps felt heavy when there was no other sound around him, just the crackle of broken glass and pebbles under wheels as worn as his own mind, and the occasional steadying of his breath because even if he was sneaking around, they _were_ expecting him. …which was why at every possible hiding place he approached he would tense, ready to step back should anyone decide to jump him. He couldn't ever remember his shoulders feeling so tight, or hear his breathing so clearly. Webs and dust claimed the place at every centimeter, and the smell of must and grime coiled into his nostrils in a constant assault.

Ikki made a face, trying to shallow his breathes so that he didn't have to smell more than he had to. He found his back pressed to the wall as he inched closer to the last doorway, carefully ducking his head down to see if everything was clear. Another doorway to the left, a stairwell to the right.

The bottom floor was already giving him the creeps so Ikki voted on the stairs. On his way there he spotted a pile of junk just off to the side, cluttered with debris and broken plaster, metal and splintered wood, long abandoned and aging with grey snow because no one would ever bother to dust it. He contemplated for a full two seconds before bending down to get a firm hold of one of the metal bars sticking out of the junk pile's gut. He shook it briefly and wiped it along his shirt to clear off the filth that could potentially thwart his grip, and gave it one quick practice swing. He almost couldn't control the wicked grin that came from hearing the way it sliced the air so cleanly.

Weapon at hand, Ikki crept up the stairs, keeping his free palm pressed to the wall as if for guidance. It was hard to see in a place where no lights existed except for the ones that were cracked and busted and therefore no longer possessed the ability to glow, and the lack of windows made it hard for the moon to filter light into his path. He didn't feel blinded but he would have loved to have a better sense of where he was stepping, regardless.

The stairs winded upwards at a very light curve, leaving Ikki clueless as to what lay dormant at the top. He was starting to become rather unsettled at the lack of noise the old place was making. He expected the spiders and leaks and cold, aging walls, but the complete sense of solitude it was giving him was making him start to seriously doubt he was in the right place. But, he could have sworn this was it; it had to be.

Once his foot hit the top step he was faced with three more options to choose from, and Ikki was getting frustrated; there had been so many fucking directions to choose from already! If he just so happened to pick the wrong ones, how was he supposed to know where to backtrack to and where to go? He grinded his teeth and tightened his hand around the metal bar, keeping it propped up against his shoulder and ready to swing down at any given moment should he have to.

Well, Ikki figured, he'd gone straight at first, then had turned right to head up the stairs. Why not go left this time…

Hating the overly simplistic logic he'd just supplied himself, Ikki went left, very unmoved at how much darker it looked than the other directions. Though, when he thought about it, it would make sense to have Kazu's location as difficult to find as possible. Confuse and daze him, get him lost and more prone to an attack. Ikki could see the logic in it, but couldn't say he was particularly thrilled by it, either.

It had the serious potential to really mess things up for him.

The further Ikki crept into the narrow build of the pathway's gullet, the colder he felt, and the tighter his fingers coiled around the metal bar. He felt his elbow attempting to lock and his muscles tensing as his vision gradually suffered.

Thankfully, Ikki was still able to see just enough to understand he still wanted to keep going in a straight line, straight until the very end, where things would split into a two-way break. Ikki figured it would be like this, anyway, because it felt like he was going straight for a long time and he couldn't see any other entryways.

And when he was finally able to see the corridor's predictable split, he took the corner quickly, swearing he heard something shuffle against the ground behind him so he turned on his heel as fast as he could react, bar-wielding arm snapping down like a spring trap-

_FWOO!_

A nice clean swipe, just like the practice swing, only to damage the still air surrounding him. There was no satisfying crack of metal on bone or even the vibrating clack of it ticking against the stone wall. Just the short-lived flap of his jacket from the rotation and then absolute silence when it settled; the dreadful kind of silence, made up of anticipation and restlessness and voices like Kazu's not calling out and giving him a sound to follow.

A few more steps down the hall and Ikki felt the next few pounds of his heart more than the ones prior. There was a door at the end, sitting alone and undisturbed, calling to him almost, and even though Ikki couldn't bring himself to say he believed that his instincts just so _happened_ to be in tune tonight, but something compelled him to think, to _feel_, that Kazu was _just_ on the other side. Logically, it could have been selfish desire or his impatience kicking in, or he could have just been simply lying to himself and forcing himself to believe the blonde would be there, that it really was that easy, because the odds of it were purely against him and it would be nothing short of absolute luck (or maybe something else he'd never be able to label) if he was. And he sure as hell didn't want to backtrack and pick directions at random only to come up repeatedly empty handed. Or lose track of where he had been, for that matter.

Either way, something was fluttering dangerously in his gut, thrashing against his stomach and clawing painfully at his spine. _He's __**there**_**,** it was sinfully sighing, like shadows hovering over his shoulder, whispering winds at his ear chilling enough to make him shiver. _He's right there_.

Somehow… Somehow Ikki truly felt he would be.

Even though he wanted to move fast, everything about his actions felt excruciatingly dawdling. His empty hand extended slowly to the door, half fearing he was going to be proven wrong, proven an idiot, when he swung it open and found nothing. He held his breath like it was his last, and Ikki slipped his digits around the handle and squeezed for a single, daunting moment before opening it.

When there was enough room to step inside, Ikki felt another chill. It was spacious and peculiar, void of anything, really, save for one thing.

He saw the rope from the ceiling first, and followed it down to the end where it was securely knotted around a very familiar, very relieving, very terrifyingly still, sight.

Kazu's arms were squeezed to his sides by it, full body held above the floor at just the right height for the tips of his shoes to ghost over the ground, dragging as his body spun in the most disturbingly slow pace, like some twisted, sadistic display of art. He was hanging limp, looking dead as if the rope had tenderly strangled his neck instead.

His breath froze from within his throat, and the weapon he'd been clutching so fiercely up until now jangled to the ground as he ran to the blonde's side.

"Kazu!?" It was breathless, like it had gotten caught on his tongue on the way out.

He didn't know what to do when he was close enough. Here he had been desperate to find this boy and now he was almost afraid to touch him. His clothes were torn, his skin marred and discolored in specific areas. There was a lump right along his hairline that had been generous enough to send dried streams of red down his paled face. The smell of copper was sharp, but Ikki did his best to ignore it as he finally regained control of his limbs and cupped a hand to Kazu's heavy chin to lift his head.

His eyes were closed, and while touching him felt anything but warm, Ikki was pretty sure it wasn't cold enough to mean he was dead, and he swallowed densely.

"Wake up," Ikki urged darkly, a sense of urgency coursing through him. "Kazu, _get up_."

He tapped the boy's cheek lightly at first, then a little harder, and a tremendous wave of relief swept over him when he heard a moan escape those dried up and busted lips, and those thick lashes trembled.

When Kazu groggily cracked his eyes open they seemed unfocused, like the world as he knew it had turned into nothing more than a whir of dark and meaningless colors. His head was no doubt pounding as much as his body was aching, but Ikki watched as Kazu gathered his wits and willed his irises to focus, very much aware that there was a hand pressed against his cheek and supporting the weight of his head. His lips spread, ignoring the way it stretched and hurt his tender skin.

And maybe in his slightly confused awakening, Kazu wasn't thinking entirely clear, because his mouth opened and closed before opening again, to make sounds and words that caught Ikki only slightly off guard.

"…I always wondered what… what it would be like," he croaked, breath getting strangled in his throat, voicing thoughts he possibly thought were only being said inside his head. He let his eyes close calmly before finishing with the softest of smiles, because Ikki had finally come for him. "To wake up to that… Baby Face…"

The crow stared for a moment, trying to register that Kazu had actually said what it sounded like he said, before shaking his head to remind himself where he was, why he was there, and why there was no time to be dwelling on Kazu's half-conscious mumblings. He was careful to let Kazu's head down gently before working at the knots of his ropes, and was only partly certain that Kazu was aware that he was being rescued, which was why it was a little disturbing to see the jet remain so still and offer no help. He had a feeling though, that a great deal of it had to do with the tightness of the ropes around his middle – too tight, squeezing Kazu's stomach and pinching his lungs, stealing his air.

"…There," Ikki whispered to himself when the knot jerked loose and Kazu fell heavily into his waiting arms with a huge, raspy gasp of air. Ikki lowered himself to the ground with the jet in his arms, allowing Kazu to catch his breath and regain his energy. Get the feeling back into his limbs. He stared at him, noticing the way Kazu had yet to reopen his eyes.

"Kazu?"

Kazu did not open his mouth to speak but he had heard Ikki, and gripped the front of his savior's shirt with stiff fingers. He had wanted to be saved.

The grip slowly began to loosen as if the gesture caused him pain and he instead wanted to focus on the warmth that was migrating to his body from Ikki's, and Ikki was made to feel extremely guilty when he jostled him to keep him from fully relaxing.

"Sorry," he offered pathetically. "But don't go falling asleep or anything, alright?"

Kazu didn't respond at first, but Ikki kept staring and staring until he saw the blonde's head nod briefly. For a moment Ikki distracted himself with comforting ideas, like taking Kazu home and the two of them just sleeping the whole ordeal away, together, safe and out of harms way. Or fixing _everything_ with a short but stern lecture about honesty and counting on one another and having the honest-to-god luck of never seeing the creeps who started this mess ever again.

But Ikki knew better.

It was that moment that Ikki felt, smelt, saw, all the damage that had been inflicted upon the jet. The bump to his head – the one that gave Ikki a thousand and one images of _how_ it had gotten there – was really only the beginning. While Kazu rested, Ikki's hands roamed up and down to feel for anything worth concern, finding his skin to be a farming ground for scratches, bruises, cuts…

He rested a hand to Kazu's stomach and felt the quake of trembling muscles and sensitive, rippling skin that convulsed whenever he took a breath. He attempted to gauge the damage, eying up the rope burns imbedded into Kazu's skin and the blood stains that no one had bothered to clean or tend to, but admittedly it looked a lot worse than it actually was. Kazu hadn't lost much blood, and his drowsy, heavy state was only possibly because he needed a moment to suck in some much needed air and summon the feeling back into his arms and legs.

Still, though. Ikki knew they were better off finding a better place to hide out. He couldn't say he felt safe sitting out in the open, in the exact spot the bait had been set.

He felt the strain tug at his lower back when he got to his knees and slide his hands behind Kazu's legs and shoulders; lifting a body that was limp and tired was a difficult task. But he could feel Kazu attempting to help now, wrapping his arms around the Crow's neck and tenderly pushing his feet off the ground to help hoist himself safely into the other boy's arms as he stood. He ducked his head neatly into Ikki's collar bone and let his weight sag once he was sure the other boy had a good grip on him.

Ikki knew it was a stupid question, but it was instinct all the same.

"Are you alright? Hey…"

Kazu's offered nothing verbal, but Ikki felt him press closer, still loving and craving the warmth he was giving off. The blonde felt fragile, _really _fragile, for the first time Ikki could ever recollect, and he was groaning softly into the crook of his neck with a lukewarm breath.

Ikki cursed; how were they supposed to get out of here with Kazu making noise against his skin and helping gravity weigh him down? It was a trap, wasn't it? He came here knowing that, and he couldn't risk an attack with the other boy occupying his arms. They'd never make it.

He started moving, keeping his pace steady but slow so as not to shake Kazu up too much; not that he was certain of it, but the sounds coming out of Kazu's mouth led the Crow to believe he would be sick if he moved him too quickly. But as he moved, those mumblings started to sound more and more like actual words, and Ikki had to stop completely, to quiet the world around him and listen.

"Ikki…" Kazu murmured, face still pressed against him. "I'm sorry. That you had to… you know."

"Shut up," Ikki quietly growled, taking in his surroundings one more time. He needed, wanted a place for them to sit and rest for a moment. Part of him was too wary to leave the room because he couldn't see anything, really, past the doorframe. What if they were waiting for him _right there_?

Ikki felt his left foot scrape the ground and step back slowly before he turned his whole body and changed direction. He made his way to the furthest, darkest but safest looking corner the room had to offer, shadowed in what looked like just another pile of useless junk, and he pressed his back to the wall there. It was helpful in his attempt to slide to the floor with the heavy load bundled in his hands. His knees cracked when he knelt to the ground, resting Kazu's body against him as gracefully as he could manage in the process. Kazu's head lulled back for a second before Ikki caught it with his left hand and guided it back upright.

"Kazu," Ikki tried deftly. "Kazu."

Kazu's lids twitched before he heavily blinked them open, licking his cracked lips and pushing out a hint of a smile.

"…I can't believe you're here."

Ikki's face scrunched at the statement, not fully able to fathom the concept of _not_ coming to get him.

"Idiot," was all he could think to say. He flicked golden locks out of Kazu's face and got unexpectedly caught in the expression the jet was making at him.

Ikki broke his eyes away and glued them to the door on the other side of the room, watching for shadows. He didn't look for long, though, because Kazu shifted in his arms and pried his eyes open to look up at him. He took in a slow, big, somewhat shaky breath and then exhaled. There was something on his mind. Something that had a time and a place that wasn't here and now but he was thinking of it anyway. And maybe it was the hopeless romantic in him that was starting to claw and tear free from his flesh, the romantic he never actually thought existed until now, but Kazu stared at Ikki's lips and willed them to move in a particular way.

He knew they were together. He knew they were… a _thing_, an item, an unofficially labeled… _couple_. And he knew Ikki was more of a man than the rest of them – Ikki would readily tell you this himself – and didn't have to talk about his feelings or express his complexity or any of that shit. He knew it was _weird. _And while Kazu knew they never actually came across the need to say things like… Things like _I love you_…

Kazu had yet to hear anything remotely close to that. A kiss here, a fondle there, but never any verbal verification of it. And for some reason, he wanted to. He knew it was somewhat selfish. That it was something sappy and dumb and it wasn't supposed to be like him to _want_ something like that.

So while the blonde opened his mouth to say something, nothing came out. He didn't know how to say it. How to ask for it. What reaction he'd get. Ikki didn't have to say those kinds of things. Not _really_.

…But he still wanted to hear it. He wanted to hear it like he wanted to be saved.

"Ikki, I…"

But, nervous of being found, Ikki pressed two fingers roughly, apologetically, to his lips to hush him.

"Rest while you can, alright?" the boy whispered, eyes flicking to the door and then back again. "We can't stay here long."

"I'll…" Kazu was still staring, his voice dying on his tongue as if losing his hold on what he wanted to say. He blinked heavily, craning his neck to the side to see the door. See what was so fascinating about it. When he saw nothing, he looked back. "I'll be fine. I just need a minute."

Ikki's hands were supporting him, carefully placed at Kazu's protruding shoulder blades to keep him up. He eyed the loop that dangled from Kazu's ear, gleaming in the light that didn't exist. He looked good with an earring. Then his eyes trailed to Kazu's neck to his shoulder, down his arm to his hand. Something heavy pulled at him, and Ikki found himself lifting his own hand to place it effortlessly into Kazu's. He attempted to give a reassuring squeeze, was ready to tell the blonde to just try to relax for a short while longer, when the jet gasped and recoiled his hand at a frightening speed.

Kazu gnawed at his bottom lip, pointedly refusing to meet Ikki's eyes again when the other boy looked at him, brows raised and creasing his forehead. The blonde did what he could to look away, but Ikki's hand easily found his chin and directed his gaze.

"Quit fidgeting," he demanded sharply, half startled with the wide eyed gaze Kazu was now carrying, so he let him go, instead gently taking Kazu's injured hand in his calloused one. He was careful with the slightly swollen fingers, tender with his palm, manipulating Kazu's hand like taught threads that could snap if he handled it the wrong way. Kazu made no noise, but his lips were folded inwards, and Ikki was able to make the diagnosis.

"…dislocated," he said in a deadpan, now able to understand the weakness of Kazu's hold earlier. "Here, let me…"

"No!" the blonde hissed, only mildly annoyed when Ikki once again pressed his fingers to his mouth to quiet him. When the Crow released him, Kazu glared. "I know what you're thinking and you can just forget it."

"Kazu," Ikki let his brows knit together. Surely Kazu had to understand, he _needed _his fingers. And in the scenario they were ambushed Ikki had a hard time picturing the blonde fighting with only one hand. He needed the both of them to be in their best condition.

"No, Ikki," Kazu said again, keeping his voice lower this time. He visibly squirmed at the mere thought of having them relocated. "It'll hurt like a bitch."

"I know…" Ikki admitted, positioning himself under Kazu so he could comfortably rest the blonde's head on his lap. The jet's hesitancy was the closest thing to agreeing to the idea that Ikki knew he was ever going to get. So he was slow – so as not to startle or pressure him – when he brought two nervous fingers to Kazu's mouth, slipped them inside and passed his teeth, and pressed them down onto his tongue.

Ikki swallowed, feeling guilty for making Kazu look so uncertain for allowing him to do such a thing, but they both knew what had to be done. Kazu needed his fingers mended before further damage could be done and Ikki needed the other boy to be able to fend for himself if the worst should happen.

"I'm sorry," Ikki thinned his lips, feeling the need to hear himself say it so it felt more justified. "Try to keep your voice down, but if you have to… Don't be afraid to bite down as hard as you need."

Kazu nodded when they locked eyes, understanding it but not looking any more comfortable than a moment ago. His tongue writhed for a moment under Ikki's fingers, teeth grazing the skin in early temptation to bite when Ikki's free hand took a hold of one of the dislocated fingers.

"I'm… I'm going to count to three."

And Ikki willed himself not to chicken out, for Kazu's sake, when he took a breath and started.

"One… Two…"

As soon as three slipped from his lips, Ikki tightened his hold on Kazu's finger and pulled, _wrenched_. Kazu's instant reaction was a yelp, lips struggling to form the sounds with Ikki's fingers snuffing it, and resorted to huffing wildly through his flaring nostrils. His blue eyes watered, then clenched shut along with his teeth, nipping so hotly at Ikki's knuckles that the Crow himself had to chew the insides of his cheek to keep from making any noise.

Ikki waited for Kazu's breathing to die down before loosening his hold on his finger. Kazu released a shaky sigh around the digits and unclenched his teeth.

Ikki knew what was coming next, and he didn't want to have any of it.

"Apologize and I won't count next time," he grumbled, pressing his thumb to Kazu's knuckles to see if he could feel a difference. He hated that he had to do it. He hated that it couldn't wait. But they couldn't stay for much longer, so he took a breath.

"One… Two…"

"Nngh, I…"

"Three!"

Another finger snapped back into place, and Kazu went to scream before catching himself, chomping viciously at Ikki's fingers to stifle his voice.

"One… Two…"

Upon hearing a third countdown Kazu's teeth were already preparing to clamp.

"Three!"

This time, Kazu jolted, and Ikki felt a stinging sensation in his hand, shooting temporarily through his wrist and up his arm. He saw and felt the spittle escaping the corners of Kazu's mouth, and something else.

The shock gone, Kazu pushed Ikki's fingers away with his tongue and once again licked his stale lips, eyes cast to the side while he caught his breath and the Crow examined his own hand.

Blood.

"Jesus, Kazu," Ikki murmured, more to himself than anything, wiping the small wound on his jeans.

"Ah, that's, uh, that's all of them" Kazu was sure to mention first and foremost, pulling his hand to himself and carefully wriggling his fingers to test them out. They felt a little weird, but definitely better than before. "Ikki, one minute longer."

He was hesitant to allow Kazu the privilege but saw the boy's eyes drooping again. He didn't offer a reply, which Kazu took an as opportunity.

From his position on the floor, Ikki readjusted himself to keep his legs from succumbing to pins and needles. Kazu's body was feeling malleable, limbs loose and moving only when Ikki moved them, like an oversized, overused ragdoll. He pulled the blonde further into his lap and looked down. Kazu's eyes were now fully closed again, lips slightly parted to breathe and filter the musty air in and out, in… and out. Ikki nervously fingered stray bangs from Kazu's face once more, watching intently for reactions; a flinch, a sound, a light turn of the head, but Kazu only breathed and breathed and breathed, exhausted all over again. How long did he need to catch his breath anyway?

Every now and again, Ikki would squirm, if only to half-consciously keep Kazu moving, to keep him from falling asleep completely. Resting was fine, catching his breath was fine, but falling asleep had to wait.

"Hey, Kazu" he tried quietly, arms looped under Kazu to lift him upwards and bring him nearer, near enough to see his face in more detail, trying to ignore the way the blonde's arms flopped lifelessly to the filth and grime and his knuckles dragged along the ground as he pulled him closer. "Come _on_."

But Kazu's head started to slowly fall back in response, taunting Ikki's dry lips and hungry teeth with an open jugular until he cupped the base of Kazu's skull and kept it still, idly rubbing his thumb across the boy's scalp. Kazu reacted to the touch, eyes cracking into slits.

"Try to keep 'em open," Ikki said, tightening his grip, fingers piercing Kazu's tattered clothes. Kazu, determined to do as he was told, tensed and shifted in Ikki's arms, working to pull himself up into a sitting position, palms latching onto Ikki's shoulders for help. Once he was sitting up, he took a breath.

"I'm really sorry, you know."

"Can you stand?"

"Yeah. Didn't mean to take so long."

"Here."

Ikki snaked an arm under Kazu's and put a hand to his chest to help him rise to his feet, eying their surroundings as they stood. It was almost alarming to the Crow, how Kazu could be so fidgety, then still and unresponsive, to being okay again in such a short timeframe.

"This way," Ikki nodded in a seemingly pointless direction but Kazu hummed in cooperation, letting Ikki take the first step and then walking along beside him. Ikki's hand was on his back and was warm, supplying all the body heat that he was craving since he sat up, which already felt like ages ago. He could feel Ikki slowing his steps to match his pace, arm tightening momentarily whenever the blonde slowed for a fraction of a second.

"I'm alright," Kazu assured. "Just tired."

And to prove this point Kazu carefully slid free of Ikki's assistance and walked on his own. He made an unrevealing sound and guiltlessly reached for Ikki's forearm and tugged. He felt like he'd wasted too many precious minutes and it was time to take charge.

"Let's move."

Ikki nodded, finding it very easy to migrate his hand into Kazu's as opposed to being held captive by it. Their fingers laced cautiously, an invisible thread for the both of them to keep from getting separated.

As they went, Ikki noticed the way Kazu's speed was starting to pick up the longer he was awake and moving. A mercy-filled wave of relief filled him when the determined look had found its way back into Kazu's blue eyes. Be it a quick recovery, a sense of urgency and priority, or just the rush of adrenaline becoming like an anesthesia for his fatigue and injuries… Ikki squeezed the other boy's hand to encourage it. He could crash when this was all over. Sleep for days. They both could.

The scrape of Kazu's sneaker startled him, soles of his beaten shoes cruelly reminding the Crow what Kazu didn't have AT's with him. Suddenly, the urge to move quick turned into an urge to move _quicker_. And Kazu seemed to be moving at a fairly decent pace now, looking tired but alert, strained but capable, hurt but able. And Ikki was starting to recognize hallways and doors already, and judging by the looks of them, it wouldn't be long until they were…

"You're early," a voice came, smooth as velvet, crumbling the stoned-in silence. Kazu let out a short gasp and Ikki resisted the urge to rev his wheels, scoop Kazu into his arms like a bride and dart out of the place. But what good would running away do? They knew where he lived, they knew who he was – they'd only find them again.

No, this needed to be settled.

"Didn't expect you so soon," the voice said, now accompanied with a body shrouded in shadow. "I suppose Mantis is losing his touch. Your little concoction didn't last as long as you thought, hm?"

"Mmm," another voice came in, and another figure made an appearance next to the first. Two forms, adult sized and right in their way. Ikki scoffed.

"Mantis, huh?" his eyes narrowed, attempting to see into the darkness but seeing nothing past outlines of their bodies. He released Kazu and straightened his posture, stood tall with his hands diving for his pockets. He tilted his head back so he could stare down his nose at them with a scowl. "That's an interesting name you got there. I'm curious as to how you got it."

To be honest, part of him really didn't want to know.

"Fee threatened?" his voice, _Mantis' _voice sounded, giving Ikki chills and arbitrary mental images of a bird getting its wings clipped.

"Tch," Ikki brushed a cocky thumb under his nose and shot a mocking grin. Letting enemies see you sweat was as good as raising your hands to the ceiling. "Don't make me laugh. Don't act like you're above me or anything."

How he hated when people did that, anyway.

However, Ikki couldn't help but notice that he was being ignored, or the way Kazu was looking left and right like something was missing. Or someone. He swung an arm out to tap the blonde's side. Get his attention.

"Kazu?"

"Riffle," came the soft response, brows lowered and lips set into a grim line. Then he looked to the other two riders almost accusingly, face still dark. "Where is he?"

"Riffle," Weaver jeered at the name. "What a worthless idiot. Can't even do the simplest task."

As if on cue, as if his ears were ringing loud enough to summon him, a beat of heavy wheels grinding from the distance grew, and from one of the many open doorways another figure slid in, kicking up dust with furious eyes and mouth agape, heavy with bad news. But the expression slipped from his face when he saw Ikki and Kazu, as well as his fellow team members, standing there looking at him, very much aware that their bait had escaped, and there was no need to tell them as such.

"You really did a number on the kid," Mantis observed idly, unimpressed.

And Ikki was smart enough to put two and two together; this Riffle guy was the one most responsible for Kazu's current condition, and possibly his stress every day leading up to this one. He felt something stir, and he felt Kazu reach for his hand and quickly squeeze to keep him from reacting irrationally. Like he just knew.

"Agh, you little _runt_!" Riffle seethed, flexing his fingers as if practicing his strangling technique before actually getting his hands on the blonde.

"Calm yourself," Mantis warned. "Just go get him."

Kazu froze. _Him_. That could only be one person.

He yanked Ikki closer to him before letting go, contemplating his options should he be able to think of them, choosing to completely ignore the way Riffle gave the most disgusted look in his direction before disappearing in the same place he'd appeared. Off to retrieve their boss; their nameless, faceless, leader.

Ikki eyed the one that was referred to as Weaver, drawn to the contraption hanging off his back and feeling a chill run down his spine. Minutes seemed to pass where words were only a mere temptation and never actually spoken, even though it looked to Ikki like Kazu had many to share with them.

He opened his mouth to say something, but felt a sudden gust of wind, a jump in his heart, the painful, startling choking sensation of a boney arm slamming against his jugular. From the simultaneous sound spitting from Kazu's mouth, Ikki could easily conclude that the jet had suffered the same fate, and the both of them went crashing to the ground in a hot, white moment. He went dazed with black spots, aching from where his head hit stones, confused when he felt himself being grabbed at and handled, pissed that he was too disoriented to realize what was happening until there was a tug around his stomach.

Rope, burning and tight around his middle, was quickly secured. His arms were to his sides, his back was pressed firmly against Kazu's, tied to him, with him, as they both sat on the ground and gathered their wits. The only comfort he felt was the blonde's lungs expand to inhale.

"What the hell just…"

"Riffle," Kazu drawled bitterly, sounding angry for not seeing it coming. "Bastard came out of nowhere."

"But…" Ikki paused, wanting so badly to comment on this Riffle character's surprising speed, but something told the Crow that Kazu already knew that. Instead, Ikki turned his attention to the fourth figure that had appeared, one he'd just now noticed. "And just who the hell are you?"

Ikki felt Kazu tense up from behind him, head whipping around. The Crow grew bitter and livid, not liking the way he was at a lower level than them. Not liking how they had to look _down_ at him.

"You guys call yourself Storm Riders? You aren't Storm Riders; you're just a pain in the ass."

Ikki squirmed under the ropes, feeling his mouth grow hot with things he suddenly wanted to say. Was this how they climbed their way to the top? By just eliminating the competition so there was none left? Was it even about becoming king?

There was a silence, and then a dark voice seeped from behind the fourth figure's red and black mask.

"…I despise Storm Riders."

And Ikki blinked. Hated Storm Riders? And yet wore AT? The logic just wasn't there. Maybe he was just…

"You're just fucking insane, aren't you?"

"Ikki!" Kazu hissed heavily through his teeth, jerking his body into the other boy's to get him to shut his hole. Maybe he'd missed it; they weren't in the best position to make those kinds of insults. And between the two of them, it was Ikki who didn't fully know what they were dealing with. After all, Ikki had been on the Devil's hit-list for some time, and now that they were easy targets…

Kazu gulped.

They both heard a light, hollow tapping sound, and looked to where Weaver was slowly approaching, carrying the metal bar Ikki had previously dropped. He patted it into his palm repeatedly, grinning. From the side, Riffle was baring his teeth like the madman he was, practically squirming in joy at the concept of beating them to death.

This was how it was going to end? Pummeled to a lifeless pulp with a metal pipe? After all of that? At least they were together, Kazu tried to reason with himself. But wasn't this all his fault to begin with?

"It was nice while it lasted," the Devil admitted idly, taking a few steps closer to get a better look of the spectacle that was going to take place. He sounded almost disappointed, but only almost. "…It's a shame to have to do this, you know. If things had played out differently-"

"Played out differently my ass," Kazu said, not able to bite down on his impulsive tongue in time. Like he actually _enjoyed _the double life. Like he would ever abandon Ikki. Like he'd ever leave Kogarasumaru behind. The very concept of it sent nukes and bombs exploding in the furthest pit of his stomach.

The Devil made a small noise and gave Weaver a nod. The human spider rotated his shoulder to adjust the device on his back and crack his neck before he approached the young boys with his weapon in hand. He gave a few practice swings, force and speed and accuracy on his side, and gave a toothy smirk. From the side, Mantis watched with a bored expression as if it were a re-run, and Riffle's hands twitched, wanting to be the one that gave the beating, but held back by lack of command.

Weaver raised the bar high above his cranium, eyes set on his target; Ikki's head. And just as he was about to bring his weapon down the intent of using every last bit of strength he could muster – one, maybe just a few hits, and it would all be over – and while everyone watched and Ikki cursed and squirmed and Kazu held his breath, Riffle made the irrevocable mistake of meeting Kazu's eyes.

They were fierce with bubbling hatred and enveloped in shadows, framed by his hair and the creases of an angered expression. His head was low but his eyes were locked onto him, full of every ounce of loathing imaginable and making absolutely, positively, unmistakably _sure_… that Riffle was looking straight at him when he licked his lips and mouthed three… little… words…

_I would win._

The swoop of Weaver's weapon was cut short when Riffle threw himself in and caught the other man's arm, thrusting it to the side when it was mere inches away from Ikki's skull.

"Wait!"

The bar clattered loudly to the ground, and every last pair of eyes zoned in on the speeding bullet, including that of his half intrigued leader, and Riffle was practically foaming at the mouth when he turned to said leader and opened it to speak.

"If you'll let me, I have a request."


	28. Rematch: Bullet vs Jet

**A/N: **Don't hate me please.

Well you can if you want to. I've really let you guys down. Most of you guys are prolly all grown up with children by now Dx

I needed to update mainly because, and don't take offense, all these MarySues? Yeah, they are KILLING me.

But I know you're tired of it but OMG this chapter, for as long as a wait it was, is HORRIBLE. It feels really confusing or something, idk. And pointless. Well not *pointless* lol its actually kind of important for Kazu-developtment, but I just mean I think there are things in there that don't need to be. OH WELL. Eh, you've been warned, in any case. Speaking of...

**warnings: **Possible typoes (hiss), OOC (mebbe), insecure writer (shoot me), blah blah, they really haven't changed so...

**disclaimer: **I hope they're not mine, cuz this massive time gap would destroy me.

**Thank you:**

_I'm going to try to keep these short-ish. So don't think I'm trying to rush past them or anything like that._

_I appreciate all of you that are still around. Also... sometimes when I go to edit in ffnet's system,_

_the typing goes haywire and misses like half the keys I punch. So... major typoes_

_in the review replies are not my fault Dx /defense_

_Right, here we go!_

**Sandy11-1990: **Yey tension! I can't believe I let FaS get so old. DX

**Neurotic Zombies: **You'll just have to see if they get out ok, aha. I wonder if praying for updates actually work.

**Gotyu: **god, I can't believe you're still sticking around. I appreciate your loyalty so much hun. Thank you!

**Seiji-kun Chiaki-kun Eiji-kun: **lol by now you're prolly all moved and everything. Thank you for the double review. I know! FaS is so old I'm embarassed. I like torturing Kazu cuz I'm horrible Dx Thank you!

**Payce99: **Thank you! Yeah, only a few more chapters to go but at the rate I'm going, it'll take longer than I hoped.

**kairiyumi: **don't be sorry, I'M the one who is sorry for taking SO long. Thank you for all the kind words. I worry sometimes tho, that the only reason its rated the "best" is cuz of it's lengh, not so much its quality. That's just lack of confidence cutting in tho. I'm glad you feel Kazu has grown, that's something I wanted to accomplish, so thank you! Thanks also for all the other awesome compliments~

**Daisuke Kazamatsuri: **Thank you so much, and thank you for reading and taking the time to review.

**Slifer: **Thank you hun! Yeah Kazu's a bit roughed up but it's not nearly as bad as it looks! Nice to see them together again, yeah?

**Dubya See: **LOL Ikki and a metal pipe just seem to fit together for some reason. Sorry for the long wait, hunny, so nice to see people sticking around still.

**Cagey Lynxx: **Caught! Ahh, all in the ways of fanfics, my dear Dx Describing feelings is actually... fun me! Thank you so much!

**TheaBlackthorn: **lol I love the support and enthusiasm. They're gonna need it.. Thanks!

**PheonixShadow: **hoo gosh you are too nice! Your devotion is downright flattering. I'm a sap for touch characters being worried about another haha, and I'll be nice... ISH... to Kazu.

**TheFireSage: **Really? I still can't grasp how people can read about pairings they've never seen haha. It means a lot to me that you still read! Thank you loads!

**geebabbie: **I only hope that this chapter will meet up to the standards of th last, and of course thank you so much for the review. So happy to hear you enjoy it so much.

**Forgetfull: **I fail for updating quick the last time and then horribly this time. It's nice to see them together isn't it ? Dx Specially when they're, like **together**. And hey! No one ever said Ikki was a flawless hero haha.

**Sagri: **I'm actually REALL glad that you mentioned these things because those very things were running throgh my mind (Ikki finding an empty room and Kazu's condition) but I'd also chalk that up to bad writing on my part. I really wanted Ikki's gut and intuition to properly guide him, and Kazu's just being a whiney bitch XD In any case, Thanks SO much for your time and crit, I've definetly thought about these things and will grow as a writer in the future because of it. Thank you hun!

**Nightshade47: **I'm a whore for cliffhangers, sorry. UGH happy you liked that part because I really enjoyed writing that bit. Of course I apologize as per usual for the lengthy wait, and thank you for your kinda words.

**Calawethrin: **Thank you lol! You don't actully shed tears, I hope, do you? Dx You're so very nice hun and I appreciate your review very much! I hope you stick around!

**SpitFirre: **LOL Don't apologize for late reviews, I deserve them for as late as i update. How many times did you reread? wow, thats flattering ahah, I will never give up on FaS but thank YOU for the same.

**ChristopheThe Mercenary: **Like, everything? In one go, you read it? Geez, can't believe you felt all of those things. I apologize for the long wait tho, but I hope this chapter is up to par.

**beanstalk1019: **lol yeah Kazu has yet to grasp this concept to its fullest just yet. I love giving characters dialogue, like love it. lol yeah I admit I made him seem really beat up, but that was my mistake for making him appear worse off than he actually is. I take it as a learning experience. Thanks so much for the review!

**Black-Flame-Rose: **BUT I AM BEHIND Dx Gag me with a spoon I am VERY behind, and all my readers are GONE, so sad. There is no such thing as being too late, dear! As long as you come around. Thanks so much for the comments and the review, AND THE PATIENCE.

**Lokir: **lol not naughty things like THAT! Riffle's just a moody twit, really. You have really great guesses hahah, read and find out! Thank you!

**dogcollar600: **Yeah, poor idiots. I love how you root for the good guys and call the badguys names haha. Thanks!

**poison-maestro: **holy crap what did you do that for ahaha, I mean wow awesome thank you but you should sleep! I don't mind the 'update' comments just so long as there is something else there, like yours! XD so thank you very much!

**Kitten-chan: **ILUUUUU

_I hope I got everyone. I'm hella tired so if I missed someone or misspelled something_

_I apologize, and know that I'm thankful for all of you, ever single one! I'm very aware_

_that it can be difficult to stick to a story for so long so for those of you that are_

_doing just that, I can't even tell you how much it means to me. Thank youuu!_

* * *

**Air Gear**

_a fiction by Crimson Vixen_

**Rematch: Bullet vs Jet**

* * *

_Don't be stupid_, Ikki's head kept repeating. Those were the words Kazu had harshly whispered to him as a warning when the ropes around them were tugged loose and they were able to stand. _Don't be stupid, just walk_.

Ikki regretted listening to him, feeling looked down upon by their captors by choosing to cooperate and walk with them. Ikki eyed them as they moved; Weaver, Mantis, Riffle, and some other fourth guy that Ikki hadn't actually caught the name of but was wary of the most.

When Riffle had pleaded his leader to please just let him have one more race, Ikki sought it out as a life saving opportunity. He had piped in that it was a good idea; that they should prove their skill like real men instead of just killing off competition.

But while his confidence in the jet was unsurpassable, Kazu himself seemed hesitant, his whole posture and demeanor a bluff.

And now as they walked into the deeper part of the city, Ikki started to feel that dithering feeling in himself as well, almost as if Kazu was transferring it to him. He didn't know where they were going but Kazu's eyes would occasionally flick and light up in brief familiarity, possibly trying to draw himself a mental map as they traveled before he ducked his gaze back down to the ground as though he were fascinated by the passing gravel, and Ikki found it a little unsettling that the blonde had yet to actually meet his eyes since they'd left the building. He looked spacey and lost in thought, lost in guilt. Like a dead man walking.

It was enough to make Ikki feel slightly uncomfortable.

The Crow had to force himself to follow Kazu's lead no matter how much he disagreed with it. Surely between the two of them Kazu knew best how to handle these guys and the situation presented, but that didn't make it any easier. Ikki clenched his fists, calculating how fast he'd have to move to take all four of them out and escape with Kazu, both of them unharmed. But the odds fizzled away when his thoughts turned realistic.

They walked for what felt like ages, made to feel longer for Ikki because he couldn't capture Kazu's eyes with his own as they followed footfalls of this team that had supposedly wanted him dead, and were responsible for Kazu's condition. He felt like he was locked outside of some twisted circle, because although he was a definite part of this, there was so much he didn't know. So much he didn't understand.

Ikki told himself that when this was all over, he was going to sit Kazu down and they were going to talk. No interruptions, no lies, just throwing all their cards on the table. About _every_thing.

They were best friends; more than that, even. And Ikki wanted to be able to protect the idiot, take him as he was with all of his in-comings and out-goings, his insecurities and strengths, his proud moments and moments like this.

He kept walking, reluctantly, eying every land mark and sign they passed and filing it away in his head under lock and key. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see Kazu's face continuously changing. Tightening. Conflicted. Full of thoughts too complex to be remotely unperturbed. He could tell the boy's legs were hurting from the stiff way he was walking, but Ikki also took into account that he _was_ walking, at least.

And Ikki, lost in thoughts of his own, thought of Riffle. He knew that if the man hadn't suddenly intervened, undoubtedly saving their lives to fulfill a selfish last wish, they would both be dead and abandoned right now, with welts on their skulls and fingers timelessly interlocked (because Ikki could specifically remember their hands touching like that while they were bound back to back) while they lay face down in the dirt.

He shook his head to toss the image away. The look on Kazu's face was anything but reassuring. The way the blonde wouldn't look at him felt like he was wasting what little time they may have had left.

He finally stopped when Mantis stopped first, causing Ikki to crash into him. His arms were quickly snatched, caught in a bruising grip and pulled at, boiling Ikki's blood from beneath his skin because he was still trying not to swing fists, trying to stuff down his desire to shred apart skin and collect teeth for Kazu's sake, because the guy just _wasn't _fighting _back_.

He _hated _it.

"_Ka_zu," Ikki barked loudly as he was jerked to the side, no longer caring if everyone heard. He willed the blonde to at least lift his head, show them that angry bitter face, look at them and sneer, look at _him_ and share some sort of silent understanding, tilt his chin up to the sky and cry. _Something_.

Just _look_.

"_Kazu_!"

This time, Kazu's face twitched in recognition, registering the call when his head finally rose. There was something inside trying to rip its way out of him. A beast tingling at the tips of his fingers and prickling fibers on the surface of his skin. Near ready to snap.

"We'll keep things fair," Riffle's voice chimed in, shattering whatever connection Ikki had a chance of making with the jet. "I'll explain the course to you ahead of time."

Ikki looked to Riffle, then to Kazu, who's face was still dark but listening closely. When he spoke, his voice was hardly recognizable.

"That's fine."

"And," Riffle added at what seemed to be an afterthought but the look in the man's eyes said he'd been contemplating this whole time. "To make it interesting, may I suggest teams?"

Kazu blinked up at him, confused. The most animated reaction he'd had so far.

"I thought it was between you and me."

"Can't say you're in any position to argue."

Kazu opened his mouth but quickly closed it, feeling the heat and weight of Riffle's team members still surrounding them.

"I'm listening."

"Two rounds," Riffle uncurled two bony fingers and hovered them just in front of Kazu's face. "First round will be your boyfriend and Weaver. Then you and me."

As he spoke, the bullet jabbed the blonde's chest with his finger. Ikki saw Kazu tense.

"There's just one problem," Kazu said. "I don't have my AT's with me."

Riffle gave a disgusted look down at Kazu's feet, which were still in regular sneakers, and then back to his face.

"That's not my problem."

"Then how-"

"Borrow your boyfriend's."

"I thought you sa-"

"Tag team," Riffle continued regardless, moving to point as he spoke. "Down that street there, and when you get to the three way intersection go left."

He looped an arm around Kazu and pulled him close, ducking his head down to be eye level so he could aim his finger properly.

"And then?"

"Through the subway again, to the third platform. From there you make your way back around this way."

Ikki watched the gears in Kazu's head turn, saw his lips twist and nibble in thought, irises following the trail and trying to picture the details of the route as he followed the path of Riffle's jagged finger. He could physically see Kazu's confidence in the course deteriorating before his very eyes, looking like the questions were flooding his system the longer he stared. And he kept staring, until Riffle gave a rather merciless nudge with his elbow.

"Sound good, twerp?"

Kazu blinked several times with his vague glimpse of the course before turning to finally face Ikki.

"What do you think?"

Ikki thought it was insane. He thought it was stupid. He had a bad feeling about it. Even if they won, their safety was never guaranteed. Ikki couldn't say he liked the way Riffle was so rough with Kazu in every form of contact he made with him either, or the way Kazu hardly reacted to them. He also wasn't too fond of the way Riffle hardly let him speak or finish a sentence, or how he could claim to want an even, fair race and yet shrug off the fact that if Kazu was going to race it would be in someone else's wheels. Not every pair of AT's were the same; they were practically customized by whoever owned them. Not only that, but dragging other people into their 'rematch'... Well, Ikki didn't see how it was _fair _at all.

"…Fine with me."

He wasn't the only one having bitter thoughts, however. When Ikki looked off to the side he could see their leader, seeming unimpressed and inpatient.

There was a shove on his shoulder from behind and Ikki almost fell forward from it. Riffle brushed by him smugly and walked over to the others to talk with them, and Kazu was soon at the Crow's side with a much gentler touch. If they were going to run away, now would be the perfect time, but even with that thought nestled into the back of his brain he didn't pull it forward, and he didn't act on it.

"Dark-and-Gloomy over there doesn't seem like he's enjoying himself," Ikki mentioned spitefully, feeling Kazu's hand put pressure on him to guide him into a sitting position. They both lowered to the ground and Kazu started fiddling with Ikki's AT's.

"That's because he isn't. I'm sure he's considering this a huge favor to Riffle," Kazu responded carefully, getting Ikki's left AT loose and pulling it off. "Sorry for this, Ikki."

"Stop apologizing," Ikki said, folding his leg in to pull the other AT off on his own before handing it over to Kazu. He watched the blonde slip his AT's onto his feet and tighten them. "They fit alright?"

Kazu twisted his ankles, and Ikki assumed he was wriggling his toes as well, to test out the mobility. His head tilted slightly to the side.

"They're a tad big, but it doesn't feel like it'll be a problem."

"…How are your legs feeling?"

"Huh?" Kazu's brows lifted, then lowered when it clicked. "Oh… It'll be alright."

Ikki wanted to argue, but resisted. Again he looked off to the other team, where Riffle was having words with Dark-and-Gloomy in what looked like a pretty defensive manner.

"You're doing the first round," Kazu's voice brought Ikki's attention back to him, starting to loosen the AT's to return them to Ikki now that he knew they semi-fit. "I don't know what to tell you. I don't know how we got here."

"Me neither," Ikki admitted, somehow managing a smile.

"Hey, listen. I want you to watch yourself," the blonde warned, unable to forget the way he'd fallen first thing in his first match with the speeding bullet. Who was to say the others weren't the same?

"Don't worry, I got this."

"Ikki…"

"So," the Crow tested nervously. He started to put his AT's back onto his feet. "You've ah… You've race him before."

It was statement rather than a question. After all, a rematch could only occur after one has already taken place.

"Yeah…"

"…What happened?"

Kazu looked down to Ikki's AT's and attempted to tighten them for the Crow. When he was done, he stood, tugging at Ikki's arm to get him to do the same. Riffle and Weaver started to walk towards them and Kazu only had a short moment to whisper his answer.

"I lost."

Ikki stared, unable to think to form words fast enough before Weaver dropped a hand onto his head.

"Let's get this over with," he said, then turned his gaze to Riffle, who was already lost in a glaring match with Kazu. "You better appreciate this, Riff. The Boss ain't too pleased. And you know, if you lose-"

"Yeah, yeah," the bullet waved him off. Their leader clearly didn't understand. "I won't lose."

It was as Ikki was forced to face the other direction to look down the long strip of road that he realized he didn't fully know the course. Yeah he'd heard the rough explanation but he needed to be able to visualize things. See it ahead of time. Where was the subway? How many turns were there past that? How did the subway part of the course even work? His throat went dry and he swallowed as Weaver crouched just next to him, faced forward.

How did anyone here expect him to know where to go?

How was he going to…

"GO!"

Weaver took off from beside him, soaring down the strip at an alarming speed. Ikki's eyes sprang wide; they were already starting!

"_Ikki_!" Kazu called from behind him. Ikki could already picture the blonde's face, and that was all it took for him to get his legs working. As if his own name was the signal, Ikki took off down after Weaver, determined to catch up, keep up, stay caught up, and find his way back to the starting point in good time.

He spared a glance behind him, saw Mantis, Riffle and their leader, along with Kazu, quickly shrinking into the distance. It was almost ironic to him that in order to see Kazu again he'd have to run away from him as fast as his legs could carry him.

And admittedly, Weaver was fast; he kept a fair distance between them, taking sharp turns so close Ikki swore his shoulders were clipping corners. Somehow to his surprise, pedestrians started to pepper the streets, giving him one more thing to watch out for, which was not making things any easier seeing as Weaver didn't think twice before plowing them over or knocking them to the side as he passed. Ikki, on the other hand, weaved and dodged, ducking right and swerving left to avoid knocking people around and as consequence, started to fall a little ways behind.

He kept up with that method for a short while before he confirmed it just wouldn't do. The very instant he saw an opening he threw himself towards the adjacent building, slamming his wheels to the rigid surface and giving him that extra bit of speed he needed to get by the crowd without any hindrance. He held himself at a horizontal angle for as long as he could manage until he had to turn a corner. And Ikki timed it nervously, with little to no time to run it though his head, and leapt into the air and shouted for people to clear room for a landing. They responded to his order with gasps and shrieks and confused upward stares.

Ikki twisted his body in mid air for his landing, waving his arms to signal there was no turning back, and when he hit the pavement with a grunt people finally got the sense to _move_. They scattered as Ikki weaved, leaning his weight into his turns and spotting Weaver ahead of him, still a distance away but not as much as before. Not fully understand the course which left him at an annoying disadvantage; getting ahead of the guy could leave him lost on the course and only hurt him in the end, whereas if he kept an eye on him and followed, he could tag Kazu and let the blonde take care of the rest.

...But Kazu had looked nervous before the race, blue eyes glazed over and thin fingers plucking at his clothes. Like he wasn't sure. Like they'd already lost.

Feeling a twinge of something that hadn't been there before, Ikki felt a little more determined to keep up, if only so he could kick the negativity out of Kazu's depressive system. Deep down surely that wasn't all Kazu was about. There were plenty of times Ikki could remember, not recently of course but certainly the memories were there, where Kazu was all smiles and nudging elbows, laughter belting out of his windpipe like it was something he couldn't control, until he couldn't breathe anymore. Ikki missed those days. He wanted to get them back. And somehow, maybe, after this race, he felt he could.

* * *

Kazu gritted his teeth at the sharp elbow Riffle was drilling into his upper arm, cupping the offended area with his opposite hand and eventually settling on a hot glare in the bullet's general direction. The jerk was acting all buddy-buddy now, like they'd always been friends through rivalry, not knowing that he already had a relationship with someone like that, and certain they were a lot closer than he ever wanted to be with this grease ball.

Riffle was acting much like a little kid. Excited, eager, full of confidence and practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. That severe surety in himself combined with Kazu's own bubbling self doubt wasn't a very comforting combination. It was something rather toxic and sickening, and Kazu moved his hand from his shoulder to his stomach to keep the contents at bay. A part of him wanted him to believe he could do this. He could treat this as any other race with any other rider and victory would be assured. But every time Kazu craned his neck to look over at Riffle and that ridiculous toothy grin, he just couldn't convince himself.

"Guess what the boss told me," his voice cut through Kazu's attempt at ignorance like a piranha's jaws through tenderized meat, which by the way wasn't an analogy he particularly liked at the moment. If Riffle's childish behavior wasn't getting to him before it certainly was now; the guy was acting like a boasting rich piece of shit child who's daddy gave him things to show off about. Against his better judgment, Kazu's will lost and he turned his head. _What_!

Riffle's grin was, once again, maddening.

"Says if I lose this race I'm as good as dead to him," he said, smile still in place, and Kazu waited for what was bound to be more. After all, something like that shouldn't make a guy smile, no matter how insane they were. "Not that I have anything to worry about. But if I win, _I_ get to deliver the finishing blow."

Kazu refused himself the luxury of swallowing, which very well could have looked more like _gulping_, because Riffle would be sure to see it, and the blonde was determined not to let him see something like that at a time like this. Finishing blow… Their boss was giving Riffle permission to kill them both when this was all over. Not that this race guaranteed anyone's life – it was only prolonging it, and giving fate time to decide how they would die.

Kazu shook his head. He had to stop thinking like that. Ikki was on the course right now, running as fast as he could without losing his way. He couldn't help wondering what Ikki was thinking right at that moment. If he had any regrets, if he blamed anyone, if he really felt they could win or if it was just the talk of a natural born leader.

He could feel his palms starting to sweat, and he rubbed his fingers together in nervousness. He'd been nervous for races before; it's a pretty natural response to a challenge for him, but nothing like this.

"And to think I could have already been dead by now if you hadn't stepped in and saved my life," was all Kazu could think to conjure up at the moment, thinking off the top of his head but knowing that the simple fact would somehow manage to nuzzle its way under Riffle's skin. And it wasn't like he could come up with anything else to say; not when it was swirling in his mind so deep. Yeah, that's it; remind the guy who wants you dead that he saved your hide at the last second.

Riffle's lips were sealed but Kazu could easily tell his teeth were grinding from behind them, and the way his eyes narrowed was anything but subtle.

"It wont matter in a short while," was the retort, accompanied but an unnecessary but deliberately rough shove from the side, almost knocking Kazu off balance but he caught himself. He tried to keep his reactions at a minimum, not only to irritate his enemy but because he was trying to focus his gaze down the street for Weaver and Ikki, chest fluttering with hope that Ikki would be the one rounding the corner first.

* * *

The sound of his wheels echoed loudly against the tunnel's rounded concrete walls, and Ikki still wasn't entirely convinced he know where he was going but he just kept repeating the directions he remembered in his head.

_Third platform, third platform, third platform…_

He mentally counted down as he passed them, feeling a heavy tension in his entire body as he glided along the tracks. He knew they were treading in dangerous territory, seeing as the tracks were still in use. Every now and again his eyes would flick behind him to make sure he wasn't being trailed by bright lights and speeding metal, before bringing his attention back in front of him, where Weaver was thankfully still in view, but at a considerable distance ahead. If by some chance Ikki was able to get in front and exit the underground rails first, the sudden re-exposure to the streets might confuse him directionally and make him hesitate. And that would only give Weaver an open invitation to fly past him, which was something Ikki, of course, didn't want.

His plan was to stay a safe ways behind until he was in a place he recognized, or at least until he saw which direction Weaver ran once he got back to the sun-dried roads, then overcome his adversary in the last minute and tag Kazu first, giving the blonde that extra few seconds he needed to win.

But then again there was the matter of switching off his AT's.

He didn't like how people were constantly roaming the course during the entire duration of the race. It was putting them in danger, and damaging his chances of reaching the goal first.

His feet landed sharply on the wall and he used his body to gain a little extra speed by pushing it forward, closing the gap between him and Weaver just a little before the third platform caught his eye. To his complete and utter relief, there had been zero trouble with trains coming and going through the tunnels.

Weaver pushed himself from the tracks, ending the orange sparks at his heels and executing a graceful landing on the platform, guiding himself towards the stairs without a single look back. Ikki was sure the other rider could feel his presence close behind him, and it was something the crow didn't want to lose, so he too jumped from the tracks to the platform, landing lightly but just as gracefully on the surface. People scrambled out of his way, petrified, making it easier for him become airborne and land his wheels on the railing for a nice grind upwards.

Just as he reached the top he could see Weaver making that first turn into the streets. Biting his lip and willing his calves, Ikki took an even breath and made the same turn, moving fast and leaning his body into the sharp left, so much that he _almost _felt himself lose his footing and ruin everything.

As soon as it clicked that he recognized the road and where he was, Ikki's speed increased. This was the final lunge for him; he needed to reach that starting point first. But a second look revealed he was too far behind for his liking.

That was when Ikki's adrenaline pumped harder than he could remember, and he focused solely on Weaver's form before bursting forth with as much speed as he could muster, feeling the distance between them shrink. Once he crossed that line he would be able to switch off with Kazu and let the blonde take his turn, so while he may not be able to cross the line before Weaver, he sure as hell could make it close.

It seemed to the crow that he was gaining speed abnormally fast, but he didn't question it. It only made sense after it was too late; he wasn't catching up; Weaver was slowing down, and soon they were in touching distance of each other.

Only Weaver didn't just touch him, he ploughed into him, unrelenting and with the strength of what felt like a wrecking ball. Ikki felt his arms flail in a last second attempt to regain his balance but it was too fast, too sudden, and while Weaver blasted off to reach the finish line, Ikki veered off course and caught his front wheel on something big enough to throw him into the air.

…C_heating_! Ikki wanted to shout, or at the very least it was what he was thinking while floating in mid air, eyes never leaving Weaver's shrinking form until his leg hit something hard and a searing pain shot through his entire body before he even hit the ground. He couldn't remember skidding along the pavement but he remembered the hot sensation on his skin afterward, the tears in his clothing and what _had_ to have been Kazu in the far, far distance screaming his name.

* * *

"_Ikki_!" Kazu bellowed from the deepest part of his throat. Then, enraged, turned to face Riffle, giving a thwack to the man's arm with the back of his hand. "God! You guys _never_ play fair, _do_ you! Damn it!"

His right foot lifted, ready to run but Riffle caught hold of the back of the kid's shirt.

"What do you think you're doing!"

Kazu ripped free of the hold viciously, eyes still burning and temper fuming.

"Weaver can tag you whenever the hell he wants, but if you want to win a race against me, _fair and square_, you won't budge from this spot until I'm back at the starting line," Kazu ordered, practically foaming at the mouth. He wasn't surprised. He wasn't surprised but damn if he wasn't furious.f

He stared down the street at Ikki's prone form, saw him moving but remaining on the ground. His feet padded heavily as he ran to the crow, hating how much slower he was without a pair of AT's. A sudden, strong gust of wind swept past him, ruffling his hair and grabbing his clothes, slowing him down for just a fraction of a second as Weaver flew by him in the opposite direction. He didn't risk looking back to see if Riffle chose to run without him; his eyes were glued to Ikki as he ran, as he sprinted, as he fell to his knees and gripped Ikki's side.

With a small shake, Ikki groaned and rolled to face him. Upon being flipped onto his back side, Ikki's arm flopped onto the ground, and in his hand, his phone slipped free from his fingers and lay open just next to him. A quick glance to the screen showed Kazu that in his short moment of time alone, Ikki had called the police.

It didn't seem like Ikki to want the authorities to play a part in this, but maybe he wasn't thinking straight, or maybe he just honestly thought it was a good option to take. But whether or not it was a smart move, Kazu didn't have it in him to argue or change anything. He sighed in relief when he looked Ikki over; it had looked a lot worse than it was. Ikki had just had the wind knocked right out of him. And while the scratches along his side were nothing to be overly concerned about, the swelling of his leg was.

"Oh shit," Kazu belted suddenly, hands flying to the leg and retreating just as fast, unsure. He looked around breifly to identify what could have hit Ikki's leg so hard, then looked back down where their eyes met. "Are you-"

"I'm fine," Ikki assured, pulling himself into a sitting position all his own. "I just wasn't expecting it."

"Tell me about it," Kazu muttered knowingly, ducking his head to examine his friend's leg. But as soon as he started to look it over, Ikki shook his head and waved it off. They were wasting precious time.

"Forget it, it doesn't hurt that bad. We have to get to the line, and you have to do the final lap."

Kazu glared at Ikki with the remains of rage that was originally for Riffle. Something was twisting inside of him and had been for quite some time. He wasn't empowered but he was vengeful, and _that_… was what gave Kazu something as close to confidence as he ever felt before.

He rested his hand lightly on Ikki's leg, careful with his placement and meeting the crow's eyes again with his own. They were losing the race, and they both knew it. Licking his lips, Kazu finally spared a glance back towards the line, where to his reprieve and somehow his disgust, Riffle was there, impatiently waiting. The thought of leaving an injured Ikki behind while he finished the lap, with Mantis and Weaver and their leader, wasn't the least bit appealing, and it didn't take the jet long to settle on an idea. He took a breath.

"Don't worry; we'll finish the race. But you're coming with me."

"What? No way. _Hell_ no. This is between you and that guy; dragging me along is stupid, Kazu. It'll just slow you down."

"I'm not leaving you behind with them. Who knows what they'll-"

"I said no."

Kazu made a face. If they have the nerve to knock people over during a race and go back on their word, there was a good chance they would take the opportunity to kick the crow while he was down and Kazu himself wouldn't be there to lift a finger. He wasn't risking that.

"Ikki. I wasn't asking your permission."

There was so much at stake for him, and he tried to convey this to Ikki with his eyes, which he couldn't even tell if they were pleading or angry anymore. The longer they debated, the more time Riffle had to mull over the idea of starting without him, thinking his delay counted as fair play. Their eyes locked for an agonizing moment before Ikki's shoulders slumped. He was certain his extra weight, added onto the fact that Kazu wouldn't even be wearing AT's he was used to, was going to mess them up and slow them down, but the look in Kazu's blue eyes was unyielding.

"…How the hell are we going to keep up?"

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Kazu said, and he actually smirked as he started loosening the laces of Ikki's treks. "I'll run. As fast as I fucking can."

He felt sure of these words, pulling both AT's off of Ikki's feet and sliding them onto his own, making sure to tie them as tight as he could. Because now was the time to take the world by storm, because for as much as he'd asked of it, it never made him any promises. So now he was going to take it.

The familiar and comforting feel of Kazu's hands sliding under him to pick him up bridal style happened before Ikki was ready. He still wasn't one hundred percent on this… for as important and close to home this battle was to Kazu, Ikki both adored and hated how willing Kazu was to risk it all, for his pride, his team, his name but mostly for _him_.

Ikki wrapped his arms around Kazu's neck to both gain and give support. He could hear the low grunt that gurgled in the blonde's throat, a growl made of its own will.

He didn't take off in a full burst of speed when he made his way to the starting line, lost in thought and testing his strength and ability as he carried Ikki towards the line at average pace. He took his time, content in knowing that he and Riffle would start at the same time, irritated that it defeated the purpose of Ikki running at all.

Despite the burden, Kazu didn't seem to show much hindrance, but Ikki was sure he felt it. He also felt a little embarrassed, and a lot like a damsel in distress in Kazu's arms when the Jet took his place next to Riffle, not even bothering to spare the other rider a glimpse and taking a stance.

"I'm ready whenever you are," Kazu said, voice drone, fingers tightening around his load.

"You're running with that kid?"

"I'm _ready_. When _you_ are."

Ikki didn't miss the affronted, near insane expression that spilled across Riffle's bony face, or the pose he took right after.

"Geez," he mumbled, obviously feeling some of Kazu's irritation in himself as well. "If I knew this was going to happen I would have just let the boss kill that kid and race you one on one. You know, prove my point and then off you myself. And riding with that thing in your arms is just guaranteeing your loss. I thought you wanted a fair race."

Finally, Kazu let his eyes slip to the side.

"You're afraid of losing to someone with a handicap, am I right?"

"You little..!" the veins along Riffles forehead and neck swelled and inflated, face going red like steam was going to shoot out from his ears any second. His whipped his head so fast to the course that Ikki felt his own neck hurt. "Go!"

Ikki felt something stirring in his mouth with something else to say, and even opened his mouth to try, but Kazu and Riffle both took off simultaneously, blowing dust and sparks and flames off behind them, and Ikki tucked his head closer to the blonde's chest to decrease the flow of the wind. Unlike the past, Kazu wasn't slowing his speed for his passenger, instead he was just holding him extra tight as he ran at what felt like full speed. Holding him close. Risking it. But Ikki still feared that even with Kazu's set determination and fast foot work, bearing extra luggage was only going to hurt him in the end.

Even with a well timed start, they were already behind…

The crow squinted heavily against the thunderous wind and wondered if this was how it always felt when the jet plane ran. Raw wind biting at your face, things whirring together to the point where it was hard for him to tell what anything was or which direction he was going and altogether just unable to see and Ikki was almost certain that the only reason Kazu was able to know the way so clearly was because this was the road he was meant for. If he looked down, Ikki could see flames flicking off the heels of Kazu's… of his ATs, and the jet was all the more amazing. Was it really just his skill that made something like that happen, and not just the wheels he owned?

"Kazu!" Ikki shouted over the wind.

"Yeah?"

Ikki lost sight momentarily of the seriousness of the situation and dared to use one hand to cup around his mouth, his other hand clinging white-knuckled to Kazu's collar.

"…This is really fucking awesome!"

Kazu didn't say anything but Ikki saw him sprout a wild grin before continuing his leg's powerful strokes and lunges, gripping Ikki roughly but lovingly when he leaned to turn. Ikki's stomach flipped with the sudden tilt, body tensing when he saw how dangerously close he got to the concrete. He nearly felt that if he hadn't clutched at Kazu tighter, he would have touched the speeding pavement below.

Finally, wind starting to burn his vision too much, he squeezed his lids shut. Felt Kazu's hand slide up until he was cradling the crows neck in the crook of his elbow. He wrapped his arms tighter around the jet's slim neck, feeling the boy's pulse race like that of a humming bird's, breaths heavy but remarkably steady and balanced.

They were still behind and Kazu's face seemed to get grimmer with each passing second. They had to catch up.

He felt Kazu's fingers dig even deeper into him just before taking a quick and unexpected turn and Ikki felt for a minute he was stuck in gravity; it took a moment for it to register that Kazu he leaped over the subway stairs instead of grinding down the supportive rail. They were this far already?

But something felt wrong the second they landed and both boys clutched at each other even harder to prepare for the painful contact that was bound to come. Kazu swore loudly as Ikki's weight caused him to fall forward on the landing and he lost his grip on the crow. Ikki was in the air again before he crashed and went rolling along the ground, disappearing over the ledge.

Landing him right onto the tracks.

By the time he shook his head and shakily propped himself onto his elbows, Ikki not only heard the loud reverberation of a subway train, he felt the ground beneath him rumble and saw the lights flood over his body, and when he whipped his head around to look into the black abyss of the tunnel, he instead saw the blinding lights of the actual train.

It all happened in what could have very well been not more than less than a second; in the mix of his life flashing before his eyes – and amazingly, Ikki swore that more than half of it was Kazu – and the way the blood in his veins froze over, people on the platform screeching and screaming and pointing at him in a panic and Kazu's voice sounding louder than everything else combined, Ikki closed his eyes and held his hands out in front of his face, certain that this was his end.

But his heart leapt into his throat and lodged itself there when his body was jerked around roughly. It was strange; Ikki was sure that getting pummeled by a train would be a lot more excruciating, quick and, well, _death_-filled, but the wind was nipping at his face again, hair flapping violently and stomach aching where it was jostling against Kazu's bony shoulder, causing him to realize that the boy was actually… quick enough to jump in front of that underground deathtrap, throw him over his shoulder and bolt before they were both flattened. …Just how fast did someone have to move to _do _that?

When he opened his eyes, he was face to face with the speeding subway train, eyes wide and fingers now clutching fiercely at Kazu's clothes as the blonde raced to outrun the metallic beast.

"Faster!" Ikki shouted worriedly, unsure if Kazu could even hear him over the rush of the wind and the roar of the engine. But as if it was all he needed, Kazu started going faster by a tremendous amount, putting distance between them and the train and at the same time, sliding Ikki around and off his shoulder, into his arms to hold him as he did before.

"You can relax, you know!" Kazu hollered, voice filled with something new and trustworthy. "In this case I'm pretty sure a jet plane is faster!"

Ikki opened his mouth, didn't say anything, and broke into a wide smile, encircling his arms around Kazu's neck again, but his grip was nervous when Kazu gave him an odd look.

"It's going to be another rough landing!"

Not wanting to try to defeat the wind with shouting, Ikki just nodded and braced himself. The train was still a ways behind them but the jump was going to be a difficult one; there were going to be people crowding the platform and they were moving quickly, so Kazu had to time it just right, and only had one chance to do it. And as Ikki's tongue struggled to declare _when _to jump, Ikki himself struggled just as hard to bite it, because he trusted Kazu's judgment better than his own on the matter. Ikki knew Kazu's speed better than anyone, but only Kazu knew how to use it. Still, his fingers twitched, clenched and unclenched as he waited for that leap of faith.

He had only a fraction of a second to prepare for it; he heard the hitch in Kazu's breath just before he lunged for the far wall to grind for a second before bouncing off of that and onto the platform. Ikki was pretty sure they did a full flip in the air – a trick to get the weight of two over the gap or an involuntary maneuver due to circumstance, he didn't know – but it was all too fast for him to be certain.

Just as the boy predicted, the landing was rocky, and for the second time, Kazu's grip faltered and dropped the crow to the floor.

As Ikki was dumped and rolled into a forest of legs, his mind went on alert. Kazu's performance was suffering – something was wrong. Ikki felt like an idiot; the blonde was definitely still in pain from earlier and straining himself with this race was the worst thing he could think of. The crow's rolling came to a stop; he heard the people around him murmuring and asking if he was ok – where did these two boys come from and _were they nuts_ to pull such a _stupid _stunt! – but they didn't understand, and Ikki searched the crowd for Kazu. He shouted his name just before he saw him across the way, slowly getting to his feet, using strangers around him to pull himself up and support his weight. He saw Kazu's blue eyes blink and search for him, and when their eyes met, he scrambled over to the crow, ignoring the protests and concern from the bystanders around him.

Ikki shook his head, no, no this was a huge waste of time. With every word Kazu mouthed – or probably spoke, but Ikki couldn't hear it over all the buzz the rest of the crowd was making – and with every aching step he took, precious seconds where being shaved off of the race, and Riffle was taking the lead. When Kazu reached him, they grabbed at each other and Ikki pulled Kazu close so he could be heard over the rest of the world. He made it as quick and to the point as he could.

"I'm holding you back!"

The blonde made a face. The roles felt reversed; wasn't it supposed to be _him _that was holding _Ikki _back? There were countless things he could say here, but Kazu also seemed to grasp that time was a factor, that a foe that was already practically equal to him in speed was a fair distance ahead, because he looped his hands under him again, picked him up and pushed his way through the swarm of the crowd.

"Shut up," he said darkly, before exploding in a burst of speed that left Ikki breathless and clawing for Kazu's clothes yet again for security. The very moment his heart started thudding again, and when it hit him that they were alive and Kazu had absolutely no intention of leaving this race unfinished – win or lose – or without _him_, Ikki nuzzled his face into Kazu's evenly heaving chest and laughed. His laughter rose and heightened the deeper he buried himself in that shirt, and he expected the look Kazu was giving him was probably one of concern.

"I'm sorry!" he shouted. "It's just that, this is too cool!"

"Yeah, you kinda mentioned that already!"

"Right, well, let me rephrase that, _You_ are too cool!"

And when Kazu actually blushed and nervously writhed his fingers, Ikki laughed even harder and longer, readjusting his hands and turning his head to get an idea of what they were doing and where they were going. At that very moment, it didn't even matter that they were behind. They were moving too fast and too perilously and too amazing for him to care that their very lives could be at stake at the end. Ikki's thoughts revived themselves; the ones that told him they could very well just turn and run to safety right now, screw the race, instead of crossing the finish line and facing the opposing team – if they were even worth of being called one – but Ikki had the feeling that although Kazu would never give up on running, perhaps he was through running _away_.

He gave Kazu's neck a gentle, reassuring squeeze.

It didn't matter if they won. Ikki had never seen anyone more determined, as stubborn and as astonishing as Kazu was at that very moment.

And now he understood why Kazu never wanted to move whenever he held him, or why he loved being held so much in the first place. It was in the comfort of the blonde's arms, that Ikki felt like they were able to take on the world. Nothing could touch him and it provided him with a warmth that nothing else in the world had ever been able to offer him before. That feeling alone was almost beyond words.

The crow gasped a little when Kazu's hold loosened for a moment to wobble to the right before catching himself. He glanced apprehensively up at the blonde; Surely Kazu's legs were on fire, as well as his arms, from carrying his sorry ass, and he was about to speak up about it but instead, looked at their progress.

There in the distance he could make out a small but slowly increasing spec. It didn't blur as much as the rest of the world did and in a flash Ikki knew it was Riffle – they were catching up!

"Go! _Go!_" Ikki yelped, grinning, getting excited and squirming, because he knew that after the subway it was nothing but a straight shot and Kazu could _do _that, because that spec was growing and turning into the clear shape of the person they were trying to pass, but he ceased his cheering when Kazu's breath was getting noticeably ragged.

"Ikki..!" he breathed, exasperated. "I can't! My legs!"

Ikki could practically feel Kazu's legs quake through his own body before the jet stopped running altogether and fell heavily to his knees, skidding and tearing holes where the fabric rubbed concrete. Riffle's ugly spec disappeared from sight.

"I'm sorry," he offered horribly. "They're just… they're throbbing."

"We're so close! This isn't like you!" Ikki exclaimed, hands flying to Kazu's pant leg, rolling it up and touching the blonde's calve, doing his best to offer a massage. On contact, he was alarmed to find how stiff and taut they were, the muscles and tendons under the skin hardly moved when Ikki rubbed at it. "Come on, you're always pushing yourself past your limits. What's one more time?"

"Ikki!"

Ikki's brows furrowed – after all the practices and battles they've experienced, he'd never heard the boy so out of breath; he was _wheezing_, hand clutching at his shirt and childishly tugging at it as if it would help him breathe. Ikki knew it was selfish of him to want Kazu to force himself to see this thing through to the end like he knew the blonde wanted to, that making him push himself on legs that already no longer wanted to carry both of their weight was a _bad idea_, but at the same time, _knew_ all too well, knew _Kazu_ all too well…

If Kazu didn't at least cross the finish line, he would never forgive himself.

"Get up," the crow growled, suddenly very cautious. This all felt threateningly familiar. The last time he tried to push Kazu into fighting, however unreal it was, ended in the boy's demise. But this wasn't a dream. "Do this."

Kazu glanced up at his boyfriend, frown starting to mar his features in a way Ikki didn't like. His dark eyes held Kazu's light blue orbs, hand never pulling away from Kazu's pulsing leg, thin and toned, actually emitting an entire aura of heat from accomplishing possibly more than what they were made for.

"I'm not _you_."

Grinding his teeth, Ikki growled.

"But Kazu," he said, closing the space that separated them and suckling shortly but ardently on Kazu's lips. He was smiling when he detached himself. "Don't you know? Running was something I could never beat you at."

And to seal that fact between them, Ikki kissed him again, full and hard on the lips in a way that sent Kazu back a bit before whimpering into the crow's mouth and dissolving into it. Ikki had to pry himself away before he took up any more time. It was his turn to make a small sound as Kazu hoisted him up into his arms for the umpteenth time, took a few steady breathes and knelt on one knee, Ikki still cradled against him.

The leader of Kogarasumaru blinked. So this was what it was like…

"Crouching start…" Ikki mumbled to himself, mechanically latching to Kazu's shoulders when he put the pieces together. Then he spoke in a whisper so soft, he wasn't even sure himself if he had made any sound at all; "…go."

Kazu's take off was so fast, Ikki almost fell out of his hold and got left behind – he was close to believing his stomach was left on the ground behind them. The resistance against the wind was strong, too strong, that Ikki could hardly lift and move his arms to wrap them tighter around Kazu's neck. His eyes were closed but still water gathered at the corners; there was no way he was going to be able to open them in this speed, and it was obvious they were going faster than before, and with a new vigor that came from who knew where. He pushed himself into Kazu's chest and focusing on the way the blonde's arms coiled around his body, carrying him like he was nothing even when his body was undoubtedly screaming.

As much as he wanted to see where they were, Ikki knew. Only someone born to run this road would be able to see straight.

The speeding jet plane may have said something but Ikki didn't catch it over the whirling hurricane engulfing his ears but he was sure it was something about their progress. There was a heat licking at his skin, coming from behind them – Ikki didn't have to think about it; it was the flames emanating off the back of Kazu's feet, spiraling into the air and leaving a visible trail of fire behind them, leaving people dazed and confused as they passed by too quick for the naked eye.

Ikki held his breath, unknowing exactly as to why.

_No one_ could outrun Kazu. Not Stealth, the speeding jet plane of BabyFace's Kogarasumaru. Not even some lame ass speeding bullet.

His thoughts ended sharply. Their speed shifted greatly and suddenly, and for yet another time, Ikki felt himself go flying – he didn't know if Kazu tripped or fell or jumped or _what_ – but this time when he fell, Kazu held on so tightly that they fell together, rolled along the asphalt together, and stopped when they hit the side of a building, _together_.

When Ikki found his wits and opened his eyes, he was laying on top of Kazu, who had his eyes pinched shut, head rolled back and mouth desperately gasping and wheezing for air, chest rising and falling with frightening speed. The crow couldn't say he was surprised; Kazu had a small build; he wasn't made to run that fast with all that extra weight. Ikki propped himself up on his hands to allow the blonde easier breathing and tried to coax him into relaxing by putting a loving hand to his cheek.

He didn't ask any questions; for certain Kazu didn't have it in him to answer them the moment. So as he caressed Kazu's cheek and brushed his blonde locks out of his face, Ikki twisted his neck to look at the finish line, which was quite a distance away – how far did they crash land? – to where the Devil was waiting with his hands behind his back and an irritated bend to his posture. Then he took a moment to calculate _which side _of the finish line they actually _were_. He kept staring, for what seemed like ten or fifteen seconds, before a gust of wind swept by and a dark blur of colors crossed the finish line and stopped only a few steps away from the Devil. Riffle put his hands to his knees and tried to recollect himself.

_Feh, that's nothing,_ was all Ikki could think. Next time, Riffle should try carrying two times his weight and then see how fast he could go. There was no doubt in Ikki's mind that the other rider didn't have it in him to pull off such a task, at least not all the way to the end.

The Devil and his advocate conversed, and Ikki couldn't hear them, being so far away. He turned back to Kazu, who was still panting for air but his eyes were open now, silently asking Ikki that frightening question he did and didn't want to know at once.

And Ikki grinned and nodded his head.

"You won, dude."


	29. Free Falling

**A/N: **Heh.

WOW, way to let another almost-year go by before another update. Another FaS birthday for that matter, LOL.

So if things go decently, there should be one or two more chapters after this, followed by an epilogue. …Hopefully. And for a while now, I've been wanting to go back and fix this story up. Not change the story or plot or anything, mind you, but I would love to go back and fix typos and errors and maybe reword a few things so that it all flows/sounds better. (So if people are fretting something along the lines of "oh god if you change it does that mean I have to go back and re-read everything?" Nope, you're good. But A LOT of things are bothering me about previous chapters and I just want to give it a little spit shine.) I'll be doing that after the last chapter and before the epilogue.

Side rant: People, please stop getting on my case about how long the review replies are. More than once I've gotten message/reviews telling me that it's disappointing to see a small scroll bar only to see that a chunk of the page is actually replies and not story. Regardless of if I reply to reviews or not, the length of the chapter isn't going to change. And the beautiful thing about scroll bars is the fact that they… scroll xD Skip on down to the chapter if it makes you feel better. Thank you~

As always, I'll be impressed if some of the FaS readers are still around and my heart goes out to you if you are. I truly apologize for the space between updates, and for how long this story has been gasping for air. I don't want anyone to think I've forgotten about the story or them – Really I appreciate every reader and reviewer so, so much!

I don't know if any of you have taken a glance at the new OVA but it is amazingly done! Oh what I wouldn't give to have seen the anime series animated like the OVA. From now on, when I visualize Ikki in my head, I'm sure it'll look like the OVA version D: You guys should check it out if you haven't seen it. It's a bit fan service heavy at the start (It IS Air Gear) but it dims down enough that you actually ENJOY the battle.

http:/www. / air-gear/air-gear-kuro-no-hane-to-nemuri-no-mori-episode-1/#sources

(hope that works)

With that, I give you another unworthy, omg-I-really-struggled-like-hell-on-this-stupid-thing chapter!

I couldn't think of a good title (SOB)

Oh! **Also! **I'm going to **Ohayocon** in January. Anyone else going? Review or PM me if you are! I'd love to meet you.

**Warnings: **The usual. Swearing and possible errors that I will be doing my best to catch and fix. LOTS OF STRANGLING Dx This chapter was SO amazingly difficult to write but without it the story cannot move on! I'm very aware of this chapter lacking quality but I hate leaving you guys hanging for as long as I do.

**Disclaimer: **Fanfiction = I do not own. This should be a given. Don't rub it in.

Again as usual, if I forget or misspell, my apologies!

Now let's all pretend that we remember what we wrote months ago and get to replies!

**Thank you!**

**jeritadorito: **That's good! I really love action scenes but sometimes I fret about writing them. Thank you so much for reviewing – I'm so glad you felt it was worthy, ha ha! It really means a lot to know that readers are able to see things clearly in a story/chapter. Thanks!

**shoxxic: **Hey hun! Haha, I appreciate it! I myself really enjoy reading a good action scene, but 'good' ones are often difficult to find. Often times I either get confused about what's going on or it's vaguely skipped over, so I really tried not to cop out and keep things clear. I don't have a lot of a faith in myself when doing it well, lol, but I tried and I'm very happy it did something for you! Also yey, I was worried because I was trying to develop characters personalities that aren't technically mine to alter, so I'm happy that's working out too. I fully agree with you about the end of the chapter, I'll be fixing that as I post this one.

**Sleeping-Willow: **Aww thank you! I'm flattered by your comments, haha. I really do wish there was more selection on the air gear page here, but I'm happy to provide what I can. Sorry about the lengthy wait, and thanks for reviewing!

**Illusion-Factory: **Why sankyu! I don't normally enjoy swapping POV's in stories but sometimes things just work out that way. At the very least I do enjoy writing both Ikki and Kazu's POV and it's really nice to know I'm not completely screwing either of them up. Thank you so much!

**SpaztasticPsycho: **To this day I can still not fathom how people can stand to read this entire thing more than one time, or in large doses for that matter, so I take it as a huge compliment when people do. I'll admit even for myself, some chapters more interesting than others, but I'm so glad the last chapter stuck out for you so much! I'm a sick person lol and love getting inside character's heads if possible. Don't worry, I'm going to struggle (do my best) to wrap things up with the other characters as well.

**Rufux: **YAY! BUT! Sorry you had to wait so long for this one. Thanks for reading!

**Daisuke Kazamatsuri: **LOL Ikki calling the police feels like a major easy-way-out to me, to be honest. Even after this story being so old, it IS my first lengthy story that has gotten this far and I refuse to let it die. I just hope people still remember that I don't claim to be a pro writer and that this IS fanfiction (crosses fingers).

**Sandy11-1990: **lol Kazu needs all the cheering and support he can get! Would you like to be the official Kazu cheer squad? I'm very happy you enjoy FaS, in spite of its old age.

**Seiji Kagurazaka Nakatsu Yu: **Maww, even if you got that excited over the last update, even though I'm sure it took forever, I hope waiting just as long if not LONGER for this one doesn't deter you too much. But man, thanks so much for always reading.

**Endy: **ahah, oh love, even without your name on the review, I can tell by the way you speak that it was you! It's always very nice getting reviews from you because you not only have nice things to say, you are helpful! I'm really hoping that Ikki and Kazu have, in a sense, grown up over the life of FaS, but not so much that they aren't IC anymore. I have to say, your inner musing of Riffle WANTING KAZU IN HIS BED make me lawl xD You almost tempted me to cave into that temptation BUT I RESISTED. Your reactions/commentary to everything always makes me smile. I love how you take the time to read this even after YEARS have passed xD and thank you for all of your continuous support!

**fyrinichi: **Aw my gosh, thank you for taking the time to come on over and review this dirty piece of rock! Aha, I guess I always picture 'bridal style' as something secure and sweet and MAYBE I'M SECRETLY A SAP. DX haha but I'm glad the rest served you well! Making people excited is a good sign, yes it is indeed. Your English is fine, haha! I'm just grateful you took the time to hit the review button. So thank you!

**Rocking Phillip: **IT TOOK HIM A FEW MONTHS BUT HE'S GETTING THERE DX!1! (Thanks)

**BlackKatt13: **EVER! I wouldn't say that, lol, but maw thank you all the same! As I've stated before, I actually really enjoy actions scenes but I often find them a terror to write. Hearing they did well and served their purpose (and came across CLEARLY) is a relief. As always I apologize for leaving it at such an annoying cliffhanger and just leaving you all to DANGLE for months.

**Blade-kun: **Oh my, thank you so much hun! Visualization is important to me with scenes like that, so thanks! And I really wanted to show readers that while Kazu can be a lovely little victim, he isn't a helpless damsel who always needs to be saved. I really wanted to show that he can be the one to do the saving, and make Ikki and Kazu seem a little more equal rather that "Kazu you are weak and Ikki will rescue your ass from all this shit you got yourself into" SO! I'm VERY happy to see you grasp it so well!

**AnonyMouse: **Anony… I have to say, since the very beginning your reviews have always been so gorgeous and always mean so much to me. You always say the most lovely things and if it doesn't make me sound really stupid and pathetic, when I first read your last review, I felt very, very moved. Your kindness has no end and I really appreciate your readership and your reviews. You seem to dig into details and pick up on emotions and the growth of characters/story in the way that I only DREAMED I can convey in writing. Your way with words is stunning and it encourages me to keep trying. Thank you thank you THANK you for all the sweet things you have to say, and for taking the time to say them. I don't know if you are still reading FaS, but whether you are or are not, you words mean a lot to me.

**Senka Sitara: **Do you have kids NOW? Haha, I know I leave things hanging for a long time and I'm just HORRIBLE for it. I'm fully aware that fandoms come and go and people go in and out of them, so I'm always shocked and amazed and GRATEFUL that people still come back and click on Folly and Sin. Tension building is something I actually find rather enjoyable to do. It doesn't matter if you don't sign in, lol, the fact that you bothered to review means enough. Thank you!

**PheonixShadow: **The last chapter, with Kazu being the one to carry Ikki in a time of need, is actually the scene that inspired the entire story of Folly and Sin. The whole thing is more or less built around that one moment, so seeing how it stuck out to you so much feels fantastic! I wanted to keep them slightly joking and enjoying certain things even in dire situations because Ikki always seems (to me) to be the type to point out things like that even when it isn't entirely appropriate.

**Slifer: **Thank you! I wanted to give Ikki the spotlight as well as Kazu since they're in this thing together now. While the true main character of this entire thing is Kazu, Ikki is an important part of it and his personality isn't the kind to let him sit by idly. Aw god, thank you so much Slifer; when I write fanfiction I try so hard to make it clear that it takes place in their world because sometimes I feel things like that can be lost if not occasionally touched on. Depending, of course.

**Forgetfull: **Happy to have made your day! Action is nice now and again, huh? And man, I know I mentioned the Mary Sue thing last update months ago but not much has changed since then. I know this is shamelessly biased sounding, but the air gear section is starved of fanfiction that isn't about Ak/gito or an OC/MarySue. I check the AG section often and I can't actually remember the last time I've felt the urge to read anything. Omg that makes me sound like a bitch. To each their own, I guess. Everyone seems to enjoy the role switch in the last chapter – I must be doing something right. LOL yes, I am a girl :D

**Dubya See: **Heyy what's up! IM SO LATE IN THIS, MUH. ARE WE STILL FRIENDS? I'm glad the race is everything it should be. Lol nothing would be worse than writing a vital scene like that and having it be dull and boring and confusing and LAME. Aw thank you so, so much for the kind words Dubya!

**geebabbie: **LOL punch some trees? RRARRGH! I'm so unbelievably happy that people were that into the last chapter, thank you! Kazu really is amazing, haha, and he is seriously under loved and underestimated in a LOT of ways (in story and in the fanbase) so I kinda dig making people see he isn't the pathetic little wimp a lot of people seem to think he is. HUFF!

**TheaBlackthorn: **Thanks! I'm so glad! Here's hoping for another successful chapter! ..Dx

**Christophe The Mercenary: **God, you and me both. These days getting a chapter out is a rare miracle. I'm very sorry for the long wait, and thank you for your comments!

**Payce99: **Yeah IKR! Come now, did you honestly expect it to be a fair deal? Lol cheering, you say? How cute! I'm glad it was exciting for you! Ha I can't help but be hard on myself. It's a horrible habit.

**Chubby-King-Chocobo: **lol. Dude. I'm glad dude. Seriously xD I'm putting Kazu through absolute, relentless hell, I know. And I know he should be falling into a coma right about now but HELLO FANFICTION I'm not done with his sorry ass just yet. Fufuf, enjoy, and THANKS!

**Peachi Bunni: **Maw, sorry for the wait hun, but now you can finally see how it all goes down. I just hope it works out the way I see it, lol. Yap, Ikki made the call to the police like a wuss, lol because I'm a horrible author and made him do it Dx Police are usually worthless in anime and manga but we'll see how it goes. Thank you for the review!

**Lokir: **tbh it's sometimes tempting. There have been times when writing that my head goes "LOL what if" but I have to shake it off because it either doesn't work or fit the moment/character. I try to fit in little laughables where and when I can, however. Thanks for reading!

**Nightshade47: **Glad it was worth the wait and I hope that the same can be said for this one. Don't worry, I just tend to dislike most things I do. As long as you guys like it, it doesn't matter though. Lol aww your poor confused dog! I'm glad you enjoyed that line and the chapter!

**MisterWriter: **Hi hun how're you! Omigosh you are too sweet, honestly. I know I'm not a master and I have lots of errors and mistakes but you liking it all still, and so much, means a lot to me! I know I haven't been providing much lately but you've always been very supportive and loyal (and I do have a few 8059 bits laying around unfinished or horribly done somewhere I think) and bahhh thank you so much for all of it! Thanks also for your patience and shushhh you are GREAT at reviewing! People don't have to review in the first place, but you take the time to let me know you read and everything so YEY.

**QuesoPwnz: **Aw thanks! Another crazy reader who read it all in one go? I am, as always, impressed at your dedication. Non-stop FaS sounds difficult, lol. Gosh, thank you just so much! I'm sorry about having to wait so long for this chapter, however. I hope you enjoy.

**krystal-of-hope: **She's a very sweet, one of kind person, she is. And her art is just as lovely as she is. She's amazingly kind to link people to my stories and I don't even feel worthy of it, but thank you so so much for all your kind words and your readership and your review. I hope you enjoy the rest just as much.

**zook: **Dear zook! I want to thank you for always reading even when you haven't actually invested in the series! And thank you for your little observations and reviewing through MSN even when I keep telling you there's no need. Your continuous support means a lot to me!

**Kitten-chan: **DEAR GOD its been so long that I don't even know what name I should use on here anymore Dx Kitten seems strange to call you, lol. Anyway, I know its been a while for you and FaS but I don't like leaving you out of the replied because I still adore you so much. ILU!

I hope that's everyone!

* * *

**Air Gear**

_a fiction by Crimson Vixen_

**Free-Falling**

* * *

Kazu's entire body went slack in a tremendous sigh of relief and joy, but it was short-lived. Ikki was shaking him and telling him to get up. The race was over but their predicament was anything but. Riffle did _not _look happy, and behind his mask, Ikki knew the Devil was probably ten times as furious. If it wasn't for Riffle's selfish desire to be the best, after all, he and Kazu would already be dead. Ikki tangled his fists into Kazu's clothes, felt the lungs under his hands expand and shrink. Guilt nibbled at him; Ikki would have loved to let him stay there, for hours if need be (and surely Kazu felt the same), but Riffle was already looking in their direction with eyes of absolute fury.

"Come on, Kazu," Ikki whispered sharply, tugging at Kazu's shirt to give him the beginning motions of sitting up. Kazu seemed conscious of the idea and tried to push himself to do just that, succeeding with the consequence of lightheadedness. He pressed a palm to his temple and willed away the fuzzy feeling it left him, pulled back into the real world only when Ikki said his name again.

He blinked into further awareness, blue orbs landing on Ikki's dark ones, then looking just behind that spiky head of his to see Riffle coming at him with the Devil bringing up the rear. As they approached, something deep within the furthest corner of Kazu's belly squirmed enough to make him clutch at it with both hands. He'd been in predicaments like this before, where he was surrounded or cornered, but it felt so different when Ikki was there with him. It felt so much worse.

Ikki reached at the adjacent building and pulled himself up, extending a hand down for Kazu to take. He helped him to his feet and was thankful to see he needed little to no help maintaining his balance once he was standing. It downright astounded him. In fact, it was Kazu who stepped forward and ushered Ikki to stand behind him.

The whir of AT's reached both their ears, making them both turn – Riffle's face had never looked as vicious as it did right at that moment. Kazu was almost shocked the veins weren't popping out of his neck, but he could see the thoughts shifting within his head; thoughts of pure malice and spite and all the things he wanted to do to them. Things that would eventually make Kazu wish they'd just beaten them to death with the lead pipe.

What he wouldn't give to have that with them right now.

On that thought, Kazu's eyes glanced around for any useful debris. He'd feel a lot safer if Ikki had another blunt object at hand. But there was nothing he could see, or at least nothing within reach, and nothing he could think of. Next to him Ikki was flexing his fingers as if having similar thoughts.

He tried to hush his breathing so it wouldn't show just how out of breath he still was, and he could see Riffle attempting to do the same. Neither of them were hiding it well.

"You lost," Ikki was the first to speak. For a moment it looked as though he wanted to add more. Perhaps a spiteful '_fair and square_' at the end but he refrained because really, the fact that Kazu had _won_ was really all that mattered. Still, his words caused Riffle to stiffen, and that in turn made Kazu tense as well. Winning the race didn't mean they were free to walk away – that would be too easy and was never actually promised. That and Kazu simply knew better. Slowly he backed up until he could easily reach for Ikki's hand, feeling far more secure when he tightened his fingers around the crow's knuckles.

"You _cheated_!" Riffle angrily shouted, pointing a crooked finger at Kazu's chest and jabbing it harshly. Kazu scowled at the accusation, brows lowering, eyes pointed just as angrily back at his accuser and then off to the side, where he saw Weaver and Mantis crawl out of the woodwork, coming in to complete the semi-circle around Ikki and himself. Blocking them in.

Kazu only gathered that Riffle wasn't making eye contact with him, but rather with Ikki, when the speeding bullet tore through the distance in a startled heartbeat, taking Kazu by the shoulder and shoving him violently to the ground to get to him. And Ikki, upon seeing this, was only able to get the first syllable of Kazu's name out before a hand suddenly was clutching at his throat.

With scrapped palms, Kazu pushed himself from the concrete and twisted to look back. Ikki was pressed hard against the building, trapped between the rough brick surface and Riffle's unrelenting hand, with fingers squeezing and willing the life to leave his best friend's body.

"I-Ikki!" Kazu called, thrusting himself to his feet and throwing himself at Riffle's extended arm, pulling at the elbow and digging his nails in.

"Riffle," the darkest of voices interrupted, making Riffle's hold falter just enough for Ikki and Kazu to pry the fingers loose and reopen his airways. He slid back to his feet coughing thickly, not clutching at his throat but blindly reaching out for Kazu instead. As soon as he felt the fabric of his sleeve at the tips of his fingers, he squeezed. When he bothered to look he could see the beads of sweat starting to speckle the back of Kazu's neck.

"I've had enough of this bull," Riffle growled darkly at his leader, able to sense the disappointment in his voice and wanting to avoid any direct accusation. He balled his hands into fists and disappeared in a whir. A powerful gust of wind picked up and Ikki had time to blink once before he realized Kazu was gone too, shirt suddenly missing from his grip and nowhere in his sight. A moment of panic rose in his still burning throat when his eyes caught sight of a slight blur of colors a good distance away.

* * *

Riffle's forearm was like a rock when it hit Kazu across the chest. The wind rushed from his body and the next intake of air was sharp and almost impossible to take. Kazu held it, shielding his face with his arms up as he ran alongside Riffle, away from the others. The guilt was swarming in the pit of his stomach like an underwater tornado; leaving Ikki to fend for himself against three possible offenders was _not_ something he thought highly of, but Riffle was the one he didn't want anywhere near the crow. Kazu's less than perfect history with the man was bound to land Ikki at the receiving end of Riffle's resulting hostility.

"Do you really think that after all of this bullshit," Riffle screamed over the wind rushing in both their ears, catching Kazu's thin wrist when Kazu shot an impulsive punch at his jaw. It was hardly his fault he couldn't stand that voice. "You're gonna just run away?"

He was frothing at the mouth as if summoning venom, grasping hard enough for his nails to cut into Kazu's flesh, but the jet refused to wince. His eyes never left Riffle's. What happened in the past wasn't important anymore. And the phrase 'run away' was starting to rub Kazu the wrong way whenever he heard it. He didn't want to be associated with a cowardly thing like that anymore. Running away and running were two completely different things.

"That's the plan!" he hollered back without thinking, feeling a little stupid for it but then using his captured hand to clutch at Riffle's wrist as well so they were locked together. When Kazu used that security to his advantage and tugged Riffle closer, there was little room for Riffle to avoid the white fisted knuckles of Kazu's free hand when it shot at his temple.

The contact was hard and left Kazu's hand feeling temporarily numb. But Riffle's grip and balance were lost altogether and he fell, speed and grace non-existent. Kazu didn't feel the least bit compelled to leave him there as he was – he didn't want him to get back up. He didn't want to give him a chance to retaliate. But he also wanted to help Ikki.

Flames spat from his heels when he turned sharply, leaning his weight to steer and help him pull the 180. He flew back towards Riffle, who was still gliding ungracefully along the asphalt. Kazu threw his hands out, grabbing fistfuls of Riffle's hair as he passed him by, erupting a curse from the man's mouth as he was violently tugged along and forced to stumble on wheels. Kazu didn't waste much time swinging his arms around and flinging Riffle towards a pile of trash bags abandoned on the side of the road. The clatter that sounded out upon impact was extremely satisfying. Even more-so when Riffle laid there and didn't get up right away. Kazu didn't try to convince himself that Riffle was down for the count, but he seemed to have bought himself decent time so he took the opportunity given to him to get back to Ikki.

He was easy to find. All the movement and chaos pulled at his eyes like magnets. He narrowed in on it, earnestly eating up the distance, heart hammering and back of his legs heated from the flames, mind racing with thoughts of him and Ikki and Ikki and him and them as an us and everything that could go _right_ after all of this was over if he could just play his cards right. He remembered Ikki calling the police not too long back, so all he really felt inclined to do was stall for time. Not the bravest and most heroic method, he knew, but he'd take it. Knocking them around or disabling them felt fine – but bloodshed wasn't on his agenda.

Ikki was just in the process of plummeting to the ground after a solid punch to the chest. Kazu pushed his weight forward, arms extended to scoop Ikki up in midair before he could complete his fall. For a moment he was reminded of their first kiss; Ikki diving towards him, plucking him out of the air like a starved bird. He looked down to Ikki in his arms, watched his eyes squint and then open sharply. He rubbed at his upper ribcage but everything seemed to be okay, giving a firm nod as a thank you and gripping firmly at Kazu's arms to say he was ready to be put down. Kazu skidded to a halt and started to do just that but Ikki shook his head.

"No man, put me down with you, over there," he nodded over to the distance. He grinned wildly. "That's where all the action is."

On any other given day perhaps, Kazu would have smiled as well. Maybe even crack something back at him. But things felt dire and heavy. Bringing Ikki back towards the very things threatening to harm him, and with Ikki not having anything on his feet past his socks, Kazu didn't feel good about the idea at all. He flexed his toes from inside Ikki's AT's guiltily, biting at his lower lip as he readjusted Ikki in his arms.

"You better not make me regret this," he warned.

He rushed back to the fray with Ikki, setting him down close enough to be a part of it but far enough away that he wasn't in any immediate danger. As soon as Ikki was out of his hold, Kazu followed his sudden urge to lean in and steal a kiss from the crow's unsuspecting lips. It was true he didn't want this to be their final moment together nor did he truly want to believe that they were going to die and he'd never see Ikki again (after all, with Ikki on his side, the chances of losing are shaved away), but kissing him helped deflect any possible regret before it could happen. There was nothing wrong with a little reassurance.

When he pulled away and turned to part from him, Ikki, urged by different purposes, yanked him back and kissed him longer and deeper. Kazu's legs already pulsed heavily, but Ikki successfully made them go weak.

"I have an idea," he said carefully when he pulled back.

Kazu blinked, heart thudding viciously. Ikki had that glint in his eye, the one that rendered him hopelessly devoted and willing to do anything he asked before even knowing what it was. He gazed wide eyed at Ikki, waiting.

"You gotta let me take on that guy," Ikki huffed, gesturing towards Weaver. Just the very thought of Ikki wanting to fight him put Kazu's nerves on edge. He didn't know if his hands were shaking or if he just felt really, really uneasy. God what he would give to just sleep all of this off in a nice warm bed right now.

"What?"

"Just let me do it," Ikki said, glancing over Kazu's shoulder and indicating that time was too short to waste with more discussing. When Kazu spun around he saw Weaver and Mantis both closing in on them and fast. The Devil had yet to move terribly close, content to just watch everything unfold from the sidelines. Kazu honestly might have felt a little better seeing him take part. Having him stay in one place and observe so casually was much more unsettling.

"Fine," Kazu spat, a little angry but knowing there was nothing more to be done. Ikki was going to go through with his plan even if Kazu turned the idea down.

He could feel Mantis close the distance just behind him, and with one last look to Ikki, Kazu gave an adrenaline pumped twist of his torso, arm held out in an attempt to elbow the older man's jugular. He surprised himself with how well he connected, and he threw himself at Mantis right after, hands going for the neck. Kazu wasn't sure what he was going to do; he definitely wasn't out to kill the man when he squeezed, but he had to put up a fight. And even if it wasn't Mantis who had tried to do the same thing to Ikki moments before, something about doing the same thing back to one of them just felt good.

They both fell to the ground. One of Mantis' hands flew to his pockets when they landed, digging for something easily even while being halfheartedly strangled. For just that one passing second Kazu wished he had it in him to summon all his strength into his hands and clench with an iron grip, but the thought of making someone's eyes roll up and into the back of their head put chills down his spine. He was sure Mantis could feel the weak willed attempt.

Mantis' hand pulled out of his pocket armed with something looking dangerously close to a needle. No, no. Another dart. Kazu's mind quickly filled in the blanks; a concoction of drugs or something equally threatening capable of knocking people like Sano for six. He didn't know if it was the same stuff as that night or not but Kazu didn't waste any time jumping away from him. Whatever was in that thing, he wanted to avoid it at all costs.

Mantis coughed only once and rubbed at his neck with his free hand as if it was only mildly irritated. Kazu by all means didn't feel like he was a weakling entirely and wondered if he even actually possessed the power to kill someone by strangulation if he put his heart into it. He took another step back as Mantis stood menacingly, armed with a new threat that Kazu couldn't seem to take his eyes off of. One little prick from that tip and Kazu knew he would be rendered completely useless. The thought makes him go cold. He didn't want to think about what would happen if Ikki was left to fight all of them on his own.

He could hear Ikki and Weaver shuffling not too far behind him and it took a lot for him not to sneak a peek, not wanting Mantis to lunge at that fraction of a second. The fact that his name was Mantis made him wary – those creatures were quick and precise.

The taller rider attacked, dart wielding hand raised high and already swiping down at him. Kazu knew a mantis was fast, but so were trains and bullets, and so were jets. Just as quick as Mantis' swipe, if not quicker, Kazu ducked low and to the side, snatching Mantis' arm in the process and twisting it as much as he could with the motion. Mantis growled, furious, and threw himself to the ground to keep the bone from snapping or dislocating.

It felt really wrong to do, but Kazu went through with throwing his heel into Mantis' head when he went down, his chest knotting and fluttering at the sight of blood sprinkling on the ground and sticking on his wheels. Ikki's wheels. It was enough to make Mantis guard his face, groaning at the critical hit and rolling to the side. In mere seconds he was already slowly rising back to his feet, dart abandoned and off to the side. Kazu took the opportunity to dispose of it by stomping down on it and breaking it in half, then kicking the pointed end further away in case Mantis made a grab for it. Instead, however, he grabbed for Kazu's ankle and gave a giant tug. It was so quick and so violent, Kazu's head hit the concrete with intense heat, and his vision left him for a frightening moment. He lay there, palms flat and cheek pressed to the cold, grainy surface, hissing with Mantis pulled to drag him closer.

When Mantis uncurled his fingers from Kazu's leg, Kazu rolled miserably onto his back, willing the stars to stop bursting and for the pain to dim away faster, and as he looked up he saw Mantis was already standing and glowering down at him. Kazu opened his mouth to say something but it came out as an uncomfortable grunt. He couldn't really see what Mantis was about to do but he could see the blur above him move in what he could only assume was something aimed to hurt him, and Kazu pinched his eyes shut to brace for it.

But the sound that followed did not come with pain, however painful it may have sounded. Kazu cracked his eyes open to find Ikki wrestling with the man on the ground, a strange looking object clasped in his hand and poised high above his head. He brought it down repeatedly with much more fervor than Kazu had earlier, aiming carefully and avoiding anything fatal, but didn't seem to have a problem with crippling. He aimed for the legs, an intense fire to his eyes that longed for survival and dared to get a little extra violent to achieve it. This wasn't as simple as something that could be settled with a race or anything else AT related. It was a life or death situation outside of that world now, and Ikki was trying to stay on top of it.

Curiosity or instinct (Kazu didn't know), made him crane his neck to educate himself on Weaver's situation. He wasn't down but he was certainly occupied. The machine strapped to his back with all the eerie tendons was sparking and flailing madly. The extensions bent and waved and curled at frandom, making it difficult for Weaver to control them. As he knelt to the ground and tried to tweak the machinery, Kazu turned his attention back to Ikki and Mantis.

Mantis' body was still moving but his energy had died down enough for Kazu to take hold of Ikki's shoulders and pull him away, allowing Mantis to breathe. It felt strange to see the man go down with a few well aimed blows from Ikki – somehow they all seemed invincible. And in spite of everything going on around him, Kazu smiled when Ikki gripped his new weapon with both hands.

"Kazu!"

The sound of his name made Kazu jump. Ikki's eyes were wide and wild and somehow extremely alluring. They looked good with that kind of intensity.

"Got another idea. Pick me up," he rushed. Kazu wasted no time and didn't even hesitate before doing as he was told, gathering Ikki to his chest. Ikki kept the blunt object in his hands and as he settled into Kazu's arms, and it was then that Kazu realized it was one of the limbs from Weaver's contraption. "Go."

Kazu bolted from the scene, making a wide, carefully controlled turn as he tried to listen to Ikki over the rush of the wind.

"When we loop back around I need you to throw me at that guy as fast as you can!"

Ikki didn't know their names by heart and had no intention of learning them either, but Kazu followed the gesture to Weaver, who was still down low and messing with the mechanics of his machine. Kazu didn't see the objective and wasn't going to pretend to understand his reasoning, but he didn't ask questions. Surely if Ikki wanted to be flung straight into Weaver, he had some sort of plan sorted in his head, right?

His legwork was quick and flawless. Although his calves were burning and his lungs were screaming, he picked up the pace and positioned Ikki in his arms in a way that would easily allow for an effective launch. The idea of tossing Ikki in like that made him nervous, but it also made him more determined not to fuck it all up.

As they got closer, Kazu gripped firmly at Ikki, spinning as he ran and getting good momentum to fling the crow and watch him soar through the air towards Weaver. Ikki arched his arm back, inky metallic appendage pointed directly in front of him. Kazu was able to figure out what Ikki was doing just as he was doing it; Ikki collided with the box attached to Weaver's back, driving the sharp piece of metal straight through the center of it.

Sparks flew like misguided fireworks, limbs writhing uncontrollably like a panicking insect. They creaked and clawed at their owner, completely out of his hands. Kazu found himself smirking as the device turned on it's owner, at the way Weaver cursed over and over tried desperately to unstrap himself. Ikki leapt away and landed a few feet away before running back to Kazu, teeth bared in a proud smile.

"You alright?" he asked, winded, grasping his shoulders. With Mantis rolling on the ground and Weaver struggling to control his own apparatus, Kazu scanned the area for the remaining two, knowing that they wouldn't stay down for long and they had to do what they could in the meantime. And damn, how he wished for the cry of sirens to break through the air already.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I-"

His voice was completely cut off when something slammed into his head and sent him straight down. His back cracked against the pavement and Ikki was on his knees next to him instantly. When he felt Ikki's hand slip under his back, he looked up and saw Riffle and the Devil standing just over Ikki. Something caught in his throat as he forced himself to stand, pushing Ikki behind him as he did so. Slowly the two of them backed up until they were forced against one of the tallest buildings in the area. Kazu was getting sick and tired of feeling cornered, of actually _being_ cornered, of history repeating itself and not being able to find an end to it all, and he met Riffle's eyes dangerously. Then the Devil's. He honestly couldn't remember the last time the Devil had spoken more than a few short, carefully selected words.

They were all silent. Kazu hesitated to make the first move, unable to envision any satisfying result if he did so irrationally. The sound of the Devil stepping forward on the tiny pebbles and broken up dirt snapped Kazu's attention there, and he wasn't able to predict or stop Ikki from shouting wildly and running forward with a fist held tight and aimed straight at the man's face.

"No!" It was Kazu who shouted when Ikki's fist landed. He supposed he had become so accustomed to that man of mystery, to never knowing what truly resided behind that shield of red and black, that he could hardly imagine a world where he knew. Ikki's fist had struck sharply and accurately on the mask, slicing it in two with a massive, instant crack. The Devil stepped back and clutched at it, unable to stop smaller pieces from crumbling like bits of sand through his fingers, down to his feet. Even Riffle stared, frozen in time as if he couldn't believe it either.

When the Devil pulled his hand away the mask was in it. Dark locks dangled for a moment before he lifted his head and stared darkly into Kazu's blue eyes. Kazu froze.

His hair was well kept. Anything but messy. His skin was smooth and his face was round. Kazu had expected something amazing. A scar running across the length of his face perhaps, or some horrible, hideously disturbing blemish or unexplainable marking. Maybe missing an eye or some type of deformity of his nose. Or even a tattoo or something to mark him as someone worth of the title of a Devil. Sometimes he'd imagine his lips being twisted into a permanent, dark smile because of an accident that happened years ago. At the very least he thought there would be deep lines by his brow or around his mouth from heavy scowling.

But his eyes were a shade of brown so sharp and dark that they resembled the bark of a red oak, matching his dark hair and dark, thick eyebrows. His cheeks were strong and defined. There was hardly an imperfection on him and to Kazu's surprise and dismay, and perhaps a tiny bit of disappointment, his face was completely… normal.

In fact, there was hardly anything memorable about his face at all. The kind of face that just blends into the crowd and falls out of memories. Without the mask, the Devil looked like a nobody.

"How disappointing," Ikki remarked smartly.

"You should have just let me kill him the first time," Riffle spat angrily, seemingly unfazed by his Boss' face now that he'd gotten a decent look at him. Kazu couldn't help but wonder if Riffle was speaking as such to his leader because the intimidation had been lessened. Now that Kazu had gotten a good look at the face behind the mask, he tried to figure what a guy like that could have over a guy as short tempered and violent as Riffle. He knew he shouldn't judge by the plain appearance because he'd seen first-hand what he was truly capable of, but it was difficult not to after living in suspense over it. What kind of controlling power or hold could he have on the speeding bullet to make him follow his every word and drive the man to want to please him so much? And the others as well.

The Devil, though Kazu found it difficult to refer to him as such anymore, looked grim but calm, eyes slightly downcast and hands folded neatly behind his back. He sighed quietly but visibly.

"No," he says, eying Kazu up and down but speaking to his subordinate. "I shouldn't have allowed you to fulfill such an foolish request."

Riffle, seeing that his boss was severely disappointed, stepped up. The boiling rage in his voice was enough to send Kazu's heartbeat to his ears. He spoke insanely. Darkly. He'd had enough.

"I'll take care of it _right_ now!"

Using momentum from his sudden burst of speed, Riffle rammed into Ikki, knocking him down and back a few feet. Ikki turned to his side when he landed and coughed, ignoring the sting and spitting out a lovely pink concoction of saliva and blood before jumping right back up to his feet. But he was too late and too far away to stop Riffle from growling something at Kazu in a voice that rumbled from the deepest part of his throat and making a fast and wild grab for the smaller rider's feet. In an impressive maneuver, Riffle tore the slightly too big AT's right off of Kazu's feet, making him topple over. But Riffle caught him in his arms (the sight made Ikki's spine so rigid) in the same beat. The look Riffle then shot at Ikki was chilling and malicious.

"This won't take long," he swore. "I'm coming back for you."

And he shot up the building, fast like the bullet he undoubtedly was, and all Ikki heard before a gust of wind ripped past him and pushed him a little further away, was Kazu rushing his name past his lips. He gazed upwards - why did everything suddenly feel so real and _final_?

His lips tightened when he whirled around and fisted his hands into the Devil's shirt, though without the mask he felt more like he was threatening a harmless stranger. His eyes were amazingly gentle looking. He _needed_ that stupid mask in order to look remotely threatening. It did nothing to sooth Ikki's raging thoughts, though.

"Where they _hell_ is he taking him!" he demanded, shaking the larger man best he could.

He only received a tiny smirk, which was oddly enough to bring the evil out in his otherwise sober expression, and a hand clutching mercilessly at one of his biceps, squeezing tightly – tighter than Ikki knew a man like that could.

"It should be obvious," he said calmly. "You may want to take a few steps back. Could get messy."

Ikki let out a short howl as pain shot through his wrist and up his arm when the Devil clutched. Then it turned into a gasp as it hit him; the memory of days just before discovering and falling in love with Storm Riding. A particular encounter with the Skull Saders that ended with him pissing his pants because he swore he was going to be canon balled into the ground and splattered all over the pavement. But while the leader of the Skull Saders was content with Ikki wetting his jeans and shaking like a damn leaf when he stopped just short of the ground, he was certain that Riffle had every intention of letting Kazu's head split.

Ikki looked up, gaging how tall the building was and gulped thickly when he realized it was far, far too high. It was a huge drop, even for Storm Riders. Then Ikki looked down to distract himself from the thought just enough to keep the contents of his stomach at bay. But it only made things worse when he saw his AT's there. Not with Kazu.

* * *

_Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!_

Even at such a speed, even though it was a pace he'd been long adjusted to by now, everything seemed to move in slow motion for Kazu. That was the part of it all that made him feel so sick – he knew what was happening, he knew where they were going and how fast, and he knew that he wasn't the one doing the running. It made his stomach continuously flip.

It was the fear of being dropped at any moment that made Kazu throttle Riffle with his arms for security and dig his fingers into his clothes. Kazu tensed, curling into himself and into Riffle, not wanting to look down and see Ikki looking up at him for the last time, or to see how high they really were. He wasn't afraid of heights or anything like that, but his feet were cold and reminding him no wheels rested beneath them. Even if there were, however, Kazu wasn't sure that his wall riding skills were good enough to save him. Being up high was a lot more terrifying when he was stripped of anything that could save his life should he fall.

"This is a good thing," Riffle said when he passed the highest window and gracefully leapt over the top, landing on the roof and setting Kazu down. The air felt thinner here. The clouds bigger and whiter. It made his heart go faster. They both understood there was nowhere for him to run and nothing to grab to defend himself. And trying to outrun a bullet without AT's was just as suicidal as slipping over the edge.

Moments after being set down Kazu felt his legs start to wobble. But he refused to collapse on them now. Not here like this.

"How so?" Kazu dared.

"The world isn't big enough for two riders as fast as us," he explained. He waved his hand between the two of them in a perplexingly civilized manner. "And besides, you piss me off."

"Feelings mutual," Kazu growled bitterly, resisting temptation still to collapse to his knees. He wasn't sure if it was the adrenaline pumping through his veins or pure insanity at this point that was keeping him standing. He wondered how precise he'd have to be, and just how much strength he'd have to use, to push Riffle over the edge. Even if killing someone felt out of the question, the image was terribly tempting.

Kazu wished for just one day he could be a horrible person.

"What the hell kind of game is this to you? You can't stand a little competition so you just knock them off the map? And what's with that guy?" Kazu glared deeply, gesturing towards the streets below where the Devil (and god, _Ikki_) were waiting.

"Shut it."

"I'm right, aren't I? You have nothing else going for you so he bosses you around like a little errand boy and you _let_ him."

"I said shut up, runt."

"You guys aren't Storm Riders."

"You little…"

"You're just a pack of cowards using cheap tricks and killing off every spec of competition you see."

Riffle growled loudly and threw his hand out to collect the front of Kazu's shirt, lifting him up into the air.

"We _hate_ Storm Riders."

Somehow, Kazu didn't buy it. The Devil himself may have hated the sport but someone like Riffle, who was not only able to do it, but was impressively _good_ at it, couldn't possibly hate a sport that was so annoyingly perfect for him. But Riffle wasn't going to let him argue any longer.

"I'm going to drive you into the ground so hard they're going to find pieces of your brain all the way on the outskirts of the city."

Kazu's breath was completely ripped out of him when Riffle wasted no more time, and hopped over the side of the building with him in tow.

Wind rushed past him like a hurricane, so fast that it burned and Kazu had to swallow whatever tried to crawl up his throat. Running this fast and falling this fast gave him two opposing feelings. Riffle's grip on him was firm and unrelenting, determined to throw him down with as much force as possible. So Kazu didn't have much time to think, which was just as well since all of his thought struck him all at once.

Okay so he'd won the race and he impressed Ikki. And now he was letting the likes of Riffle rip it all away from him? All the things he'd worked so hard for and waited so long to earn? After he and Ikki had finally, _finally_established something irreplaceable between them beyond the levels of friendship. After he was able to freely say that he had feelings for Ikki?

That he _loved_ Ikki.

And he sure as hell didn't want to die before he had a chance to hear Ikki say it. He didn't want to lose that chance or Ikki himself. He was afraid of death.

He was able to fly through all of these thoughts in the time it took to blink, and they snapped him into action. Riffle was trying to grind down the building to double the speed of normal freefalling. Kazu flailed, fighting the wind to bring his legs in and knee Riffle in the ear but they continued to fall at an alarming rate, the bullet's feet marking up the side of the building and sending out wide sparks like a ricocheting gun pellet. Kazu stretched his hands and grabbed at Riffle's waist, hoping for the best when he kicked out with his feet and hit Riffle's legs from behind. Anything to stop that speed.

"Fucking shit!" Riffle spat as his footing slipped out from under him and the two of them started falling with gravity. The pace in which they were plummeting was nothing reassuring but Kazu noticed the considerable difference. At the very least, Kazu prolonged his death by a few mere seconds. And he intended to use every last one.

Riffle swung his feet around, trying to catch the side of the building again. It was then that Kazu realized speed seemed to be all Riffle had – he didn't know any airborne tricks to save himself or alter his momentum or direction. Not like Ikki could. Riffle was so busy trying to stretch his legs out towards the building's surface that he didn't notice how Kazu was reaching for something else with his hands.

The AT's on Riffle's feet.

But he grasped at them desperately, one in each hand, and _yanked_ with every ounce of strength he could summon. He didn't know if Riffle was just poor at securing his AT's or if the fear of dying compelled him to do it right the first time, but when he felt them slide off, he moved as quickly as he could.

As if Riffle were not even there, Kazu attempted to shove his own feet into Riffle's AT's, all the while trying to convince himself that there was no way all of that had just happened in just a few quick seconds. Slipping into AT's was made difficult by falling, but he managed to get one on.

But as half expected, Riffle was anything but happy with the little stunt and pounced, blindly head-butting and making Kazu's head snap to the side, positive that he'd lost a single, precious second by recovering from it. In angry retaliation, Kazu swung back, AT still in hand, smacking Riffle's skull with his own wheels.

That dazed the other rider long enough to Kazu to slip the other AT on. And while Kazu's attention instantly slipped to surviving, Riffle's was narrowed in on revenge, arms outstretched and a crazy look in his eyes. His longer arms allowed for him to throw his fingers around Kazu's neck, nestling under his jaw and thumbs pressing up into his pulse. Kazu felt he should have expected as much.

In the heat of the moment, Kazu knew there was hardly anymore time to be wasted fighting back. Kazu strained to ignore the pressure, using all of his weight to give one more mighty kick to Riffle's gut.

Winded, eyes bugging out, Riffle wheezed and let up on his hold. The force of the kick moved them slightly apart, to where Kazu's back scrapped briefly against the building, ripping at his clothes and marring his skin. Riffle was pushed the opposite direction, giving him nothing to grab onto as he fell to his death.

Kazu acted. Past the buzzing rush in his ears he could have sworn he heard Ikki screaming his name just as he moved his feet to touch the building. He cringed; Riffle's AT's were too big and loose for his feet and part of the struggle of riding in them was not losing them. It was difficult to maneuver in. That coupled with his not-so-perfected art of wall riding didn't do much for him.

Yet when he heard the scream of wheels pushing past their limits, the very instant he understood that he was sloppily but successfully grinding horizontally, he grabbed Riffle by the arms, straining his back trying to carry the man with him. In spite of his deed, Riffle squirmed and cursed and tried to tear out of Kazu's hold, which made Kazu curl his fingers even tighter around him. He couldn't stand being near him, but he wasn't going to let him hit the ground at such a fatal speed.

"Damnit!" he hissed through his teeth at the pain, unable to fully control the direction his feet rocketed in oversized ATs. He allowed himself a moment of rocky, temporary grinding before he pulled his feet in and descended again. Just a little bit closer, Kazu knew, just a little bit closer to the ground and he could do this. He just had to time it right.

He let himself fall a little further, Riffle still in his hold, watching the ground rush up at him.

"Now!" he screamed to himself harshly, to keep from second guessing himself. He threw his legs towards the building once more, forcing the wheels to kiss something solid, trying desperately to balance with the burden in his arms. He skidded along the side at a slight downward slant, until they were at a height that was safe enough to fall from. Gravity held him still for a beautiful second and then it was like falling all over again.

Kazu kicked off of the building, releasing Riffle as he did so, sending them both tumbling to the waiting ground. Kazu knew Ikki was there, ready to race to his side, ask if he was okay and be genuinely furious and concerned and unable to contain himself. He closed his eyes.

Hot agony tore into his skin as he skidded and bounced, almost clawing at the ground to slow the landing and finally go still.

One of Riffle's ATs flew off of his foot. The fabrics of his shirt suffered more wear and tear, threading apart and sporting holes all throughout. He could feel parts of his exposed skin burning to the point where it felt as it was peeling off in layers. Nothing felt broken, but he couldn't be sure.

When his body registered that he'd come to a complete stop, Kazu held his breath for a long, unbelieving minute before he released it. He kept his eyes shut. Breathe. Breathe. _Breathe_. He felt thickly wet and he smelled copper. It was impossible for him to tell where he was bleeding from, or if he just thought he was bleeding because his skin was grazed and hot. Only the sound of Ikki running to reach him compelled Kazu to pry an eye open. And he couldn't wait for Ikki to get there and hold him because it wasn't until he was falling to his death that Kazu realized how vital things like that were.


End file.
